AN office manager who stole more than £16,000 of her boss's money after she ran up huge credit card bills has been jailed for a year.

Averil Morgan, 28, who took some funds that her employer Trevor Crabtree was sending to charity, covered her tracks by writing letters and pretending to send them to the various organisations.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Morgan, who stole cash and forged Mr Crabtree's signature on dozens of cheques, owned up after the losses were uncovered.

But it was only after accountants were called in to Trevron Industrial Finishers on Winewall Industrial Estate, Colne, that the full extent of the scam came to light.

Sentencing Morgan, who had no previous convictions, Recorder Anthony Edwards said that between October 2000 and May 2002, she had taken advantage of her responsibility.

The defendant, of Prairie Crescent, Burnley, admitted theft, making a false instrument, false accounting and deception.

David Pickup, prosecuting, said early in 2000, Morgan, using the name Harriett Octavia Bradfield Morgan, became office manager at Trevron.

She was responsible for wages, banking and cheques, which were passed to Mr Crabtree, the managing director, to sign.

Over 18 months, the defendant made out 35 cheques to accounts either of her own or her creditors and took £16, 388.21, for her own benefit, the court was told.

Some of the cash was supposed to be going to charities, including cancer relief and the defendant also spent more than £280 of the firm's money on groceries, clothes and CDs for herself at Asda.

She put it through petty cash as refreshments for the workforce.

In May this year, Mr Crabtree became suspicious when he received a letter from a finance company, enclosing a cheque he had never signed. Money was found to be missing from petty cash.

Morgan was confronted, admitted taking some petty cash, apologised and agreed to pay back Mr Crabtree.

Mr Pickup said Morgan was later sacked after accountants discovered she had forced signatures on the 35 cheques and paid them to people to whom she owed money.

Wendy Nilsen, defending, said Morgan was under no illusions about the seriousness of her position.

She said the defendant, married only a year ago, clearly had underlying problems in her life. She had been bullied at school, had had a difficult childhood due to her size and accent, had suffered a distressing childhood episode and had tried to take her own life when she was 14.

Morgan had got deep into debt with credit card companies, had taken out loans and became depressed.

Her parents had also gone off sailing around the Mediterranean, leaving her to sell their home and also with some debts that they had.

Miss Nilsen said it was a matter of great regret Morgan did not tell her husband about her debts from the outset. He was not aware of her financial position until the offences came to light.