An accountant who plundered the company coffers to pay her mortgage and give cash gifts to friends has walked free from court.

Roselyn Mukendi even used a company credit card to buy furniture for herself as she siphoned off thousands of pounds from her employer's.

But after hearing how the 33-year-old single mum had got behind with the mortgage as she struggled to make ends meet a judge decided not to jail her.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, said Mukendi got a job at Litespeed Titanium at the Delta Business Park, Swindon through employment agency Robert Half International.

She said the firm is an American racing bike company which acts on trust at its British base in Swindon.

As an accountant Miss Marlow said Mukendi, of Lisle Close, Grange Park, had access to the company bank account and credit cards.

Using BACS, the bank's automated credit transfer service, she made eight payments into her own mortgage account while she was at the company between August last year and May.

She also made 13 payments to her own personal account, three to friends' accounts and used the company credit card 11 times.

As well as buying furniture from MFI on the card she also paid her own phone bill.

Miss Marlow said that on May 1 the company made a complaint to the police over ten transfers totalling about £5,000.

When Mukendi was questioned she admitted taking the cash to pay her mortgage, put into her account and to give to friends as presents or to repay loans.

In total she embezzled £15,543.90p from the company.

Mukendi pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, five of fraud and asked for 20 similar offences be taken into consideration.

The court was told the Kenyan-born defendant had a previous conviction from August 2005 for using a false instrument and seeking or obtaining leave to enter the country by deception.

Chris Smyth, defending, said his client's financial problems started when she was in custody following that conviction.

After trying to enter the country on her sister's passport from a visit home he said she was detained, and unable to pay her mortgage.

As a result she not only got into arrears but the interest rate increased making the monthly payments go up to more than she could afford.

He said she had come clean about what she had done before it had been found out and was very sorry for her deceit.

She lost the job she had but was now working again through an agency at £14 an hour as well as running her own cleaning business at night.

Passing sentence Judge Douglas Field said: "In balance, although I have thought about it, I don't need to impose immediate custody on you."

He passed a 36-week jail term suspended for two years and ordered her to do 300 hours of community service.

She must also repay the stolen cash within the next year or face three months in custody.