A TRAINEE accountant who stole £1,400 from a charity for deaf and blind children has walked free from court.

Louise Muir-Sage raised the cash for Sense International, which was organising a trek in Peru.

The 22-year-old used the charity's name to get sponsors from friends and organised fund-raising events to get the cash for the trip.

Instead of handing over the money, so it could be used to help the deaf and blind children, she used it to settle her own debts including a student loan.

But after hearing she was sorry and that her father had repaid the money she stole, magistrates gave her a community service order.

Peru Trek 2002 was organised by Sense International early last year to take people to South America if they raised at least £2,500.

Muir-Sage and a number of colleagues at Zurich Financial Services decided to go on the expedition and got together to hold meetings to help each other with their fundraising.

Each had to put up £600 of their own money and the company contributed £500 leaving the remaining £1,400 to be found through fundraising.

Muir-Sage organised a number of events.

Stacey Turner, prosecuting, told magistrates that in June last year Muir-Sage announced to the group she had reached her target of £1,400.

Miss Turner said Muir-Sage told her colleagues she had set up a separate bank account for the money.

"Miss Muir-Sage then left that employment and missed the deadline for forwarding the money," Miss Turner said.

"They contacted her numerous times and told her they would forward their concerns to the police. They didn't receive any substantial answer. She said she was expecting a child so was not going on the trip.

"Scope International received no money from her. She was then arrested in January 2003."

When she was questioned she said that she had debts of £3,000 and never opened a separate bank account for the money so used it to pay off her debts.

At a previous hearing Muir-Sage, of Beaufort Green, Park North, pleaded guilty to theft.

Stephen Weighell, defending, said his client accepted she should have kept a record of the money she collected.

Magistrates ordered her to undertake 200 hours community service and pay £118 costs.