A WOMAN who plundered £94,000 from her father's scaffolding company has walked free from court.

Imogen Morgan told her dad 'It's not that much' when she was found to have had her hand in the till for a year.

The 24-year-old abused her position to siphon cash from Frome Scaffolding into her own bank account, taking £40,000 in the six weeks before being caught.

And when she was questioned by police she said it was to fund her cocaine habit before later admitting she didn't do drugs.

She then said she used it to pay for her boyfriend's addiction and was also put under pressure by friends to get them cash to pay their bills.

But after Swindon Crown Court heard her dad no longer wanted her prosecuted a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, said in February 2014 Morgan started worked for the family firm, based in Trowbridge.

Her job was to pay suppliers and other bills as well as collect payments from customers In March this year dad Aaron was checking paperwork when he noticed six payments to a regular client going to two different back accounts.

When he checked he realised one was his daughter's and after speaking to the bank found that in the previous year 85 extra payments had been made to her.

And in the six weeks leading up to discovery she had taken £40,000 and in total had £94,023.56p between the start of 2014 and Thursday March 19.

"He confronted his daughter and her response was 'It's not that much'. The matter was reported to the police," Miss Squire said.

When she was questioned she told police she had a £1,000 a week cocaine habit but has now changed her account of why she took the money.

Miss Squire said that after she was charged her father said he no longer wanted the matter to proceed but she said it was in the public interest to continue with it.

Morgan, of The Old Surgery, Warminster Road, Westbury, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud.

The court heard she had cautions from 2009 and 2010 when she had stolen from her parents.

Tristan Harwood, defending, said his client had accepted she lied to the police when questioned admitting she never had a drug habit.

However her boyfriend did and she was also put under pressure from other people to get cash to help pay their bills.

"She felt under pressure to provide money to certain individuals and she did so by stealing from her parents," he said.

"It seems she got entirely carried away with what she was doing and stole an increasingly large amount at the end. It seems she was not entirely motivated by financial gain, the money went out to others."

He said the victims in the case, his client's family, did not think anyone would benefit by her being sent to prison.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Blair QC said: "The difference in your case is I have a very clear letter, by email, from your parents who were the victims of this.

"They say had they realised the consequences for you and the family they would not have pursued the matter.

"The public, in the future, need to have the ability to be aware of what you have done and you will therefore have to put in any application for a job in the future that you have been convicted of a fraud and no doubt they will ask you about the size of it, and that will no doubt limit you in the ability to have a position of trust."

He imposed a two-year jail term, suspended for 24 months, with 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation.