A THIEVING secretary who stole £38,000 from a village primary has been spared an immediate jail sentence, because of her own children.

Susan Rowe was told she was lucky not to be going straight to prison for her “despicable” offences, but she may now lose her half share in the equity of her home to pay for her crimes.

Durham Crown Court heard the defendant worked for a dozen years at Collierley Primary School, at Dipton, near Stanley, in a trusted administrative role.

But, over the last two years, she pocketed parents’ school dinner money payments, made personal purchases using school funds and kept £935 collected from colleagues for a staff Christmas party at Beamish Hall Hotel.

Her actions came to light when Durham County Council auditors raised concern over the missing dinner money and the lack of registers of parents’ payments from 2012 to 2014.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said when asked, Rowe claimed the registers had gone missing amid refurbishment work at her office during a school holiday.

It emerged that the county council supplied £36,274 worth of food over the two academic years, but only £8,289 was banked for those meals.

Rowe tried to account for the shortfall by claiming a lot of parents were behind with payments and she failed to “chase it up”.

She also forged the acting heads’ signatures on a cheque paying for the staff Christmas party, for which she pocketed her colleagues’ £35 payments.

A further 25 cheques with forged signatures were paid to the defendant for £9,335.

Although she initially tried to offer explanations, after asking for a break in her police interview, she told officers: “It was me. I don’t know why I did it.”

She added that she did not need the money and that it was, “plain stupid”, explaining she spent the money on her two young sons.

A statement by school governor David Marrs said the investigation cast a bad atmosphere and suspicions among staff.

It also hit school funds, limiting the money available to assist disadvantaged children.

Rowe, of Tennyson Gardens, Dipton, admitted three theft, two forgery and one fraud charge.

Jennifer Coxon, mitigating, said: “She has clearly acted very stupidly over that period of time and has not thought about the consequences of her actions.”

She said at the time Rowe was undergoing relationship and mental health difficulties, while trying to support her family.

Recorder Peter Makepeace told her: “It’s despicable. You thoroughly deserve to go to prison and the only reason you won’t is because of the impact it would cause to your two children”

He imposed a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, during which Rowe must perform 180-hours’ unpaid work and complete rehabilitation activity days.

Recorder Makepeace told Rowe it was “ironic” her activities affected disadvantaged children.

“For my part I can’t see any possible reason that whatever equity is in your house shouldn’t be given to those children.”

A crime proceeds hearing will take place in August.