A FOREIGN exchange cashier stole nearly £40,000 from her employers over two years.

Jacqueline Gempton, aged 55, set up 'ghost transactions' at the American Express bureau de change in Plymouth and pocketed the proceeds, a court heard.

Jacqueline-Gempton

She altered till receipts at the Armada Way branch to hide her theft of £37,473, Plymouth Magistrates Court was told.

But Gempton told police she did not live a lavish lifestyle but used the cash to pay bills and debts.

District judge Paul Farmer warned Gempton his power to jail her for six months may not be enough. She was sent to face a Crown Court judge for sentencing.

Gempton, of Telegraph Wharf in Stonehouse, admitted theft of the cash from Kanoo, the company which owned the franchise, between January 2008 and December last year.

Angela Furniss, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Gempton worked as a foreign exchange cashier at the Armada Way branch.

She added that last year another cashier made an honest mistake in a currency deal and managers decided to see whether there had been any other errors.

Mrs Furniss said that their investigation showed other discrepancies which only happened while Gempton was in the branch alone.

She said Gempton had bought foreign currency then sold a similar amount shortly afterwards.

Mrs Furniss said the deals were 'ghost transactions' and CCTV footage showed that nobody else was in the branch when they took place.

The court heard Gempton also tampered with the till receipts to hide what she had stolen.

Mrs Furniss said Gempton had confessed when confronted by managers and was dismissed.

She added that she told police in interview that she had not led an 'extravagant lifestyle' but had used the money to pay bills and debts.

Mrs Furniss said Gempton was struggling to deal with the pressure of work and coping with an elderly mother who was suffering from dementia.

The court heard that Gempton had no previous convictions.

Mr Farmer told her: "This court's powers of punishment art not sufficient."

Gempton was granted unconditional bailed to face a judge at Crown Court on September 6.