A SALES representative at a Bradford car dealership has been spared an immediate jail sentence for stealing more than £23,000 from her employer.

Donna O’Melia, 33, was working at JCT600 Seat at Sticker Lane when she began taking cash payments from customers and keeping the money, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Prosecutor Ella Embleton said O’Melia was employed by the company from May 2018, until her dishonesty was discovered.

Her offending came to light when a debt showed up in accounts that had been paid in cash to her in breach of company policy.

Miss Embleton said an investigation disclosed that 22 customers had paid O’Melia in cash, totalling £23,704.

The court heard that she had taken the money to fund a gambling addiction.

She pleaded guilty in February to theft by employee. She had no relevant previous convictions, only a single matter dating from 2019 for driving over the prescribed limit.

O’Melia was not legally represented in court for the sentencing hearing.

The judge, Recorder Catherine Silverton, said the case had been previously adjourned so that she could find lawyers to represent her.

She offered to postpone it again if O’Melia wanted legal representation but she was content for the sentencing to go ahead without it.

Recorder Silverton did have a full probation report to assist her.

She said that O’Melia had told customers that the cash machine was broken and taken the money handed over to pay final balances for vehicles.

Some of the clients were vulnerable because their cars were part of a mobility scheme.

The offending was planned and committed in breach of trust.

But O’Melia had admitted her guilt at the magistrates’ court and she had no relevant previous convictions.

She had issues with alcohol and gambling and was assessed by her probation officer as being at a low risk of reoffending, Recorder Silverton said.

She was also clearly very sorry for what she had done.

O’Melia was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with 25 rehabilitation activity days.

In what Recorder Silverton described as ‘a token gesture’ she was ordered to pay £600 in compensation to the dealership.

A Contempt of Court order bans any publication of O’Melia’s address.