A ROBIN Hood-style fraudster who stole money from a national finance company to give to debt-ridden friends has been ordered to pay the money back.

Trowbridge magistrates told 33-year-old Rachel Powell she abused a position of trust in a 'misguided' attempt to help friends in need.

Described by her solicitor Ioan Gealy as a Robin Hood thief who 'stole from the rich to give to the poor' Powell looked on sombrely as her scam was outlined at a hearing on Thursday.

Mother-of-four Powell started embezzling money while working for Greenwood Personal Credit Ltd acting as an agent for people living in Trowbridge.

Over a two-month period Powell set up 13 bogus accounts to lend out hundreds of pounds to friends and relatives in need.

Michelle Hewitt, prosecuting, said the offences came to light when Powell resigned from the firm in October and the new agent revealed 13 of the listed customers did not exist. Powell, who had 232 genuine customers, embezzled £2,140 but had paid nearly half the money back through collecting repayments.

In a police interview Powell, of Kingswood Chase, Trowbridge, refused to give the names of the people she gave the money to.

Mrs Hewitt said: "The loans were actually genuine loans given to friends and family but she would not name them for fear for getting into trouble. She did initially collect the repayments until she resigned from the company. She agreed that when her round was passed on no-one would have been able to collect from the bogus customers."

Defence solicitor Mr Gealy said his client committed Robin Hood-style offences in which she gave the money to people struggling to pay off mountains of debt.

He said: "She was loaning mainly to people who in fact didn't have any money themselves.

"Although it is intrinsically wrong the motivation some people would consider to be good. In my submission you will not see her in court again."

Mr Gealy said his client had not gained financially from the scam.

Powell, who admitted three counts of falsified accounting with ten similar offences taken into consideration, was ordered to repay £1,145 the total of the money still outstanding to the company.

Magistrates ordered her to complete a 160-hour community punishment order and pay £75 prosecution costs.