A FORMER sales assistant refunded cash to her credit cards, using items for sale in the store where she worked, a court was told.

Lucy Hughes stole more than £2,800 from Marks and Spencer, in Darlington, between November last year and May.

Yesterday, Hughes, 21, of Middleham Road, Darlington, admitted theft and six offences of false accounting, at Teesside Crown Court.

Judge Peter Fox placed her on probation for two years and said: "This is a tragedy for you because it is out of character."

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said while working as a sales assistant, Hughes entered her own credit card details into the electronic transaction journal, and then credited money to those cards as if refunds had been made.

She would use items from displays to key in their details, and then make the refunds to her accounts, said Mr Dodds.

Her offending came to light when a loss prevention manager visited the store and carried out a security check on the electronic journal. Hughes had entered her employee number to make the transactions.

When Hughes was interviewed by police she admitted what she had done. She said she had been suffering depression, and financial problems were at the core of what she was doing.

She said she had spent much of the money on two holidays to New York and Tenerife.

David Lamb, for Hughes, said she had saved £1,700 to pay to Marks and Spencer.