An office manager stole nearly £16,000 from a charity helping victims of domestic violence, badly affecting the service it was providing, a Court heard yesterday.

Sandra Oldham, 48, used an online account of Craven Domestic Violence Service, to buy two Wii fit games consoles, which she gave as Christmas presents, Bradford Crown Court was told.

Investigations revealed further financial irregularities which Oldham was responsible for.

Prosecutor Edward Renvoize said that on seven occasions Oldham – who was responsible for paying wages, looking after petty cash and validating expenses claims – paid herself an additional salary, equivalent to her monthly wage of between £1,400 and £1,600.

Mr Renvoize said Oldham also wrote a cheque for £971 in her own name and cashed it. A series of fraudulent expenses claims were also identified. The total amount taken by her was £15,939, but she had now paid back almost all of it.

Mr Renvoize said: “The period when they didn’t have that money, they feel, led to very serious consequences. They were unable to provide the level of service required.”

The court heard the charity, which relies on fundraising and Government grants, had to go overdrawn and accrue arrears.

Oldham, of Milton Street, Skipton, worked as an outreach worker for a number of years and as an office manager from 2006.

Mr Renvoize said her wrongdoing came to light after concerns were raised by a colleague about the purchase of the Wii consoles.

Mr Renvoize said the charity’s accounting practice was not particularly astute and it was Oldham’s responsibility.

Oldham, who was suspended last December following an internal probe, was arrested in January.

The court heard she pleaded guilty at Skipton Magistrates’ Court in May to charges of theft by an employee and fraud.

Mr Renvoize said the magistrates adjourned sentencing for a probation report and indicated they had a community penalty in mind but the Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC, was told that the case came back before a different Bench, which decided to commit the case to crown court for sentence.

Judge Stewart said a second Bench taking jurisdiction of the case was inappropriate. He said: “I have to consider the extent to which this defendant was given a legitimate expectation by the first Bench. I am going to have to have a report from the clerk of the justices at Skipton magistrates to explain how this extraordinary state of affairs has come about.”

He said the offences were a major abuse of trust. “I consider the public may be aghast if an immediate custodial sentence was not imposed.”

Judge Stewart adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed and reserved the case to himself.