AN ACCOUNTS manager who stole more than £51,000 from a company at a time when it was in financial difficulties has been jailed for 18 months.

Annette Bineham paid the amount into her own account in an attempt to pay off her debts, but spent much of the money on other things.

The 22-year-old, of Chaffinch Close, Chatham, wept as a judge told her: "I have to sentence you, I am afraid, to immediate imprisonment. I can do nothing else. It is too serious for me to consider a suspended sentence."

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Bineham was intelligent and highly thought of at Hague Construction, based at Park Pale Farm, Shorne.

She joined the company in November 2002, when she was 18, and was promoted to the responsible position.

Vivienne Pearson, prosecuting, said Bineham, who suffers from the Crohns disease, affecting the intestine, became a trusted and well-liked member of staff.

But in July one of the company’s administrators was alerted to a problem with the payroll. He noticed that an ex-employee was still being paid by the company.

An investigation revealed that the money had been paid into Bineham’s account from May this year.

It was then discovered that an employee’s salary of over £900-a-week was being paid twice - the second amount going to Bineham.

Miss Pearson said the account had been set up by Bineham in October last year and she received the cash until September this year. The total amount stole was £51,376.

Bineham admitted 12 offences of dishonestly falsifying a record made for accounting purposes and asked for 37 offences to be considered.