An employee who stole nearly £900 from a charity shop has escaped jail despite breaching a suspended sentence for a similar offence.

Stacey Cremin, 34, stole £889.53 in takings from British Heart Foundation in Worcester Park between September and October last year.

Cremin, of Percy Gardens, Worcester Park, took the shop's takings home to pay bailiffs, Croydon Magistrates Court heard.

Cremin was in charge of banking the shops takings, but the banking slips which she had filled out had not been stamped by the bank cashier, causing suspicion among other members of staff.

Defence solicitor Alan Ambridge told the court Cremin had every intention of paying the money back to the charity soon after, but she had ran into financial difficulties and didn't want her children to find out.

Despite having a conviction for stealing from a previous employee which was due to elapse next month, Cremin managed to avoid prison.

The court heard how Cremin had not told her children about her convictions as one was about to sit school exams.

Mr Ambridge explained to magistrates Mary Marshall and Jim Elliot that the children's grandfather had recently died and Cremin believed news of her convictions would upset them more.

Chief Magistrate Mary Marshall told Cremin she was being given another chance due to her children, her guilty plea, and because she had paid the money back to the charity.

She said: "Before we came in here today, we were going to send you to prison, make no mistake."

Mrs Marshall handed down a 24 week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.