A WOMAN has pleaded guilty to stealing £1,500 from funds being raised to help a Swindon primary school.

Fiona Grice, 43, of Magnolia Court, Pinehurst, stole the money while she was the treasurer of the Friends Of Freshbrook Primary School.

Magistrates, who heard that Grice suffered from depression and anxiety attacks, sentenced her to a curfew order for 12 weeks and ordered her to pay back half the money she had stolen as compensation.

The court heard that she took the money between June 1, 2004 and January 31, this year.

She had pleaded guilty to the offence at a previous appearance on April 12.

Magistrates sentenced her to a curfew order that would see her having to stay at her house in Pinehurst most evenings of the week.

She was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £35 as well as the £750 compensation.

According to a source at the school the friends of the school had to disband after the offence.

The headteacher will be sending a note home with pupils today to explain to them about the situation.

Garry Perkins, the council's lead member for education, said: "When something like this happens it is absolutely horrendous.

"Parents of children work very hard for groups like this to raise money for the school for various reasons, so it is especially sad that something like this can happen and make all this hard work for nothing.

"It is a sad reflection of society that there will be people out there like this who will take advantage of other people's generosity for their own gain."

Coun Geraldine Frost (Lib Dem, Freshbrook and Grange Park) said: "I don't know much about this case personally, but I must say it is very disappointing that something like this should happen.

"Freshbrook Primary School is an excellent school and the headteacher and the governors, as well as the parents, work very hard to make it what it is."

Jamie Hill