Bristol arranger Linda Stickings stole from her clients and company and then claimed she had been burgled to cover her tracks, a court heard.

Provident Financial Ltd worker Stickings not only pocketed people's repayments, she took out loans for herself in their names and retained her work cash float, Bristol Crown Court was told.

Though she tried to hide the money by reporting she had suffered a break-in, and then tried to claim on her insurance, she eventually confessed all.

Stickings, 56, of Stockwood Lane, Whitchurch, sobbed in the dock after pleading guilty to three charges of fraud and two of theft and wasting police time.

Imposing a 12-month community order, with 150 hours' unpaid work, Judge Carol Hagen told her: "You stole from your company and you betrayed your clients."

The judge conceded that though Stickings had racked up a £22,000 debt due to financial mismanagement she did not spend her ill-gotten gains on high living and had paid what she stole back.

Brian Pixton, prosecuting, told the court Stickings arranged loans for people and collected repayments each week. He said she took out a loan herself at the end of 2008, but when she applied for a further loan in March this year she was turned down due to insufficient earnings. Mr Pixton said: "She made an application for a £300 loan in the name of Pauline Scattergood, a customer of Miss Stickings with her own loan.

"Miss Stickings forged her signature and pocketed £300."

The court heard Stickings helped herself to £35 of Miss Scattergood's loan repayments as well as pocketing her work cash float of £580.

Mr Pixton said. "Provident would miss £580 and she made a false report of a burglary.

"The burglary was said to involve £580, money of her own, and jewellery totalling £1,710."

The court heard the police wasted four hours of their time investigating the false report, but though Stickings put in an insurance claim to Aviva for her loss an insurance assessor refused it.

Stickings then took out a loan in the name of Shirley Haines and pocketed £500, Mr Pixton said. She then falsely claimed a mystery man was threatening her twice a week and demanding money

When Provident's suspicions were aroused they interviewed Stickings and she lied before phoning them, apologising and coming clean, the court heard.

Single Stickings told police she had a £22,000 debt, had no idea where the money had gone and she had arranged the false loans intending to pay it back but things had snowballed out of control.

After Judge Hagen indicated her thoughts on sentence David Campbell, defending, told the court: "She very much welcomes the opportunity to put something back and would welcome community service."