A BOOK-KEEPER who stole £20,770 from her employer over three and a half years was sentenced to six months in prison by the Royal Court yesterday.

Ruth Leslie Kinnard (49) had been working part-time at Tower Carpets when she was discovered by her boss to have been falsifying the accounts, writing inflated wage cheques and taking the proceeds.

Prosecuting, Crown Advocate Julian Gollop said that Kinnard’s offences were discovered following a passing conversation with her boss.

‘On 5 November 2004 Mr Le Brocq was in conversation with Kinnard when she passed the remark that it had been a quiet week,’ Advocate Gollop said.

‘He felt that week’s wage bill of £3,599 was on the high side for a week just described as a quiet week.’ He checked the wage calculation and found that that week’s wages should have totalled £2,599.

He said Kinnard’s offending had started following a mistake when the wages were allocated and £100 cash was left over.

‘She simply kept that money after and, on the basis that no one confronted her, she did it again.’ In all, Kinnard had taken money from the company on 30 different occasions over a period of three and a half years.