A BRYNAMAN shop worker who stole almost £1,000 from her employer has escaped jail – despite admitting taking money on more than 100 occasions in less than a fortnight.

Stacey Lorna Amos, of 12 Brynceunant, pleaded guilty to taking £953.36 during a two-week spree while she worked at Park Garage in the village during May, 2008.

Prosecutor Andrew Smith told Port Talbot magistrates the thefts had only come to light when a check of the company’s accounts uncovered a huge number of voided transactions.

“The CCTV was checked and it showed that when customers were paying by cash, Miss Amos was voiding the transactions and simply pocketing the cash,” he said.

“In total, there were 106 thefts in 13 days.

“In police interview, she said she hadn’t realised it was so much money and she wanted to keep up appearances and clear her debts,” he said.

Judith Thomas, defending, told the court that the 22-year-old, who wept throughout the hearing, was extremely remorseful for what she had done.

“Her debts had exceeded £5000 and she had debt collection agencies after her,” she said.

Mrs Thomas added that Amos decided against going to her family for help because they had financial problems of their own.

Magistrates made Amos the subject of a 12-month community order consisting of 80 hours of unpaid work – a sentence her victims have branded “pathetic.”

Ann Thomas, who owned Park Garage at the time, said she had expected Amos to be sent to prison.

“This was a breach of trust. My son and daughter were running the garage after my husband had died suddenly in November,” she said.

“They had trusted her and then they found she had been taking money.

“They thought she had been really helpful because she was happy to do more hours, we now know why.

“The sentence is pathetic really, it’s not going to be much of a punishment at all.”

The family, who had run Park Garage for 16 years, sold the business in June, saying the theft had finally forced their hand.

“It was the final straw really, we felt the time had come to sell up,” said Mrs Thomas.

Amos was also ordered to pay £903.56 compensation as her mother had already repaid £50.