A THIEF stole hundreds of pounds worth of jewellry from a mother-of-two after she had hired her to clean her home in Cricklade.

At Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday, Claire Jayne Thompson, 37, from Cirencester, was sentenced to a 12-month community order after admitting one count of theft and one count of fraud by false representation.

Thompson had been employed as a cleaner by Wendy and David Brown at their home in Deansfield, Cricklade.

Between January and March Thompson stole a large amount of jewellery from them, totalling £1,500.

She also stole a credit card belonging to the Brown family, then used it to make a number of fraudulent online purchases to the total value of £630.

Wendy, 44, said she had only hired Thompson because she had known her on and off for years and wanted to give her a chance after hearing she had launched her own cleaning business.

“After she had been there for a few weeks a friend said to me ‘don’t you know what she did?” said Wendy. “It turned out she had stolen cash and cheques from her former work. I confronted her about it and she said she was sorry and was trying to make something of herself so I gave her a second chance.” Wendy then whisked her husband away on a holiday to New York and on her return was notified there had been some strange transactions on her card.

It took around three months to prove that it had been Thompson who had used the card for an online shopping spree. During this time Wendy, who works in payroll, discovered a number of items of jewellery, including rings and pendants, had also been stolen and sold on.

“I won’t ever be able to get them back, I had hoped to give them to my girls,” said Wendy, whose children are aged 10 and 13. “I was absolutely devastated – that’s all memories. I feel very sorry for her and her children.”

Thompson was sentenced to a 12-month community order to participate in a 20-day female offender course and to pay £405 compensation to Marks and Spencer Bank and £300 to Mrs Brown.

Local Crime Investigator Sarah-Jane Bolt, who led the investigation, said: “Thompson used her position of trust to make her own financial gain from a couple good enough to employ her.

“Not only did she steal a credit card and use this to rack up large debts, she also stole a number of items of jewellery which held great sentimental value to the Brown family.

“Thompson preyed on the good nature of Mr and Mrs Brown, abused their friendship and showed no regard for them whatsoever.

“I would always urge anyone who has information on any suspicious activity to contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”