A primary school administrator, who stole £6,380 of funds from work, was given a suspended jail sentence.
Diane Brightwell (49) used a bank card belonging to Swallowdale Primary, Melton, to withdraw sums of between £50 and £300, on 31 occasions.
She admitted stealing the cash between June 2010 and July last year. Brightwell, of Dalgliesh Way, Asfordby, was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.
Judge Robert Brown said: "It was a breach of trust placed in you by the school and the headmistress.
"It was money the school could ill afford to lose and would have been greatly needed, especially in times of austerity like this.
"Some of the references I've read are from people in the teaching profession who have spoken about your ability in your job.
"There are many people who want the court to see there is another side to you and I accept you're remorseful.
Ben Gow, prosecuting, said Brightwell's duties included looking after a bank account used for buying items for the school.
"However, the headmistress became suspicious and county council auditors inspected the accounts," he said. "There were 31 unexplained cash withdrawals totalling £6,380."
When arrested, she said she had been struggling with debts of about £30,000.
Brightwell initially said she withdrew the money at the behest of others who wanted to buy things for the school.
It resulted in 21 people at the school being interviewed. They said they never asked her for money upfront for school purchases.
Mr Gow said: "She was given a high degree of trust as signatory of that particular account and had a bank card to use on behalf of the school."
John Hallissey, mitigating, said Brightwell had no previous convictions and was "terrified" to be in court facing jail.
He said: "She wasn't responsible for the main school bank account, but one containing funds raised through events such as fetes."
Mr Hallissey said Brightwell's husband was laid off work as a railway engineer in about 2009, reducing the family's income by two thirds.
He said: "Because her husband was suffering from depression, she shouldered the burden and kept quiet about bills going unpaid and having to put the shopping on her credit card. She also became depressed and felt unable to cope."
She is unemployed and on benefits while her husband has occasional work as a courier, Mr Hallissey said.
They now have an arrangement to deal with their debt issues and the defendant is on medication for depression.
Brightwell's family were in court to support her.
She was ordered to pay £150 court costs.
