A middle-aged sub post mistress who embezzled more than £30,000 over a six-month period has been handed a one-year prison term.

Mother-of-two Catherine Leat was in dire financial straits when she pocketed the money from the post office she ran at a shop in Trowbridge, a jury was told.

The 44-year-old was found guilty at Swindon Crown Court of stealing a total of £30,083 during the summer months of 1999.

Although she denied any wrongdoing even trying to point the finger at colleagues she was convicted of six counts of theft and one of false accounting after a jury spent two days deliberating on the charges.

Sentencing Leat, judge Mr Recorder Malcolm Gibney commented that the Post Office was aware of the discrepancies before she left the business at Islington, Trowbridge, but did not notify the bosses of the store the office was in until then.

Ian Dixey, defending, said that his client had divorced before the offences took place and "got herself into a parlous financial situation".

"It appears the reason for that was firstly because of the divorce and secondly because of the decision to sell the business which was the home and purchase another property," he said.

"It appears that at the time of the divorce, the settlement made was that she was entitled to keep the business but in return she didn't pursue any claim for maintenance either for herself or the children.

"The fact was her ex-husband was in employment and not running the post office, that had always been her sole responsibility. It is clear that it was a combination of this that led to her financial situation."

There was no evidence put forward of his client 'frittering away' the money which was taken, he told the court.

Although her house was worth £60,000, he said she owed £42,000 on her mortgage and personal loans of £14,915 and £5,856 which were being repaid at £50a month under court orders making her 'technically insolvent'.

He said her 19-year-old daughter was at university where she was living full time to work during the holidays to fund her studies.

Her son, aged 17, was living at home and re-sitting his GCSEs with a view to doing A-levels and going on to university.

Leat, of Bradley Road, Trowbridge, faced a total of 16 charges and was cleared on five. Four were dismissed by the judge at the trial.

Jailing her for a year, Recorder Malcolm Gibney said "You do not, even now it seems, acknowledge the entirety of your responsibility.

"At trial you tried to shift responsibility from yourself on to other employees. You took advantage of rather lax audit and stock control mechanisms over a matter of months."

He said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified.

He went on to say: "At the time you were in financial difficulties, as are many thousands of other families up and down the country.

"There is no excuse for resorting to criminal activities."