A TRUSTED council finance officer who stole nearly £30,000 from the estate of a dead pensioner has escaped a jail sentence.

Sarah Gardner, aged 28, moved money between bank accounts belonging to Judith Kirby, aged 60, whose financial affairs she looked after following her death.

Over five months, she siphoned off nearly £30,000 via direct debits and cash withdrawals, as well as taking £1,700 from the account of another elderly woman with dementia.

Salford City Council officials became concerned and a police search revealed Gardner, who was living in Bolton at the time, had cash cards and transaction receipts for both accounts.

She later told officers she needed the money to pay off her debts and those of her sister.

At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday, Gardner, now of Swineshead, Lincolnshire, was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work after admitting obtaining property by deception and theft.

After the sentence, Det Con Philip Donnelly said: "This was a despicable abuse of people's trust. This elderly woman had recently died and Gardner callously stole from her account while knowing she had no living relatives.

"Her greed led her to lie, cheat and steal on a grand scale."

The court heard how Gardner committed the offences while working in the pensions section of Salford City Council's financial team as a temp.

Her role involved administering the financial records and payments of those in the council's care or who were deceased.

David Benson, prosecuting, said that on May 31, 2006, she requested an £11,320 cheque relating to Judith Kirby. The cheque was paid in on June 5, but it raised the suspicions of Gardner's supervisors and she was interviewed by them.

Mr Benson said: "In total £29,455 was taken from accounts in Judith Kirby's name."

The court heard how Gardner came into possession of another bank card and PIN number belonging to dementia sufferer Clara Allen.

She stole a total of £1,700, following three withdrawls in June, 2006.

Mr Benson said: "Of Mrs Kirby, she said she had known her as a close friend when working at McDonald's and she gave her the PIN number, but she did nothing with it until she died."

The court heard how Gardner had a previous caution relating to her employment at British Gas in 2000 when she was said to have paid customer refunds into her own account.

Katherine Pierpoint, defending, said: "She is absolutely mortified to find herself in the position of a crown court on extremely serious charges.

"These crimes were committed against a background of her own difficulties, particularly financial difficulties."