A woman who washes cars for a living was fined $1,500 for stealing a vehicle.

Melissa Sousa, 35, of Pembroke, pleaded guilty to stealing a key, removing and driving the car and to another charge of taking it and driving it away, on Monday.

In Magistrates? Court yesterday, Crown counsel Oonagh Vaucrossen told the court that the owner of the car regularly parked the vehicle in Spurling Hill parking lot, and Sousa was her washer woman.

On February 4 the owner realised that her spare key had been stolen and that the driver?s seat had been pushed back. The complainant asked her husband if he had driven the car and he had said no.

On Monday, the woman parked her car and began walking to work, when she realised that she had left her laptop in the car.

She walked back to the car park only to discover that it wasn?t there ? a folding chair was in its place. She immediately called the Police and while she was waiting for them, Sousa drove back into the car park.

She informed the defendant that she had called the Police. Sousa then attempted to escape, but was caught by Police on Reid Street, Hamilton.

When Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves asked Sousa if she had anything to say for herself, she said: ?I had never done it before and it will never happen again.?

Mr. Greaves said: ?The woman?s gasoline bill is going up and she is thinking that it is the price of fuel.? He fined Sposa $250 for stealing the key, $500 for taking the car the first time and $750 for stealing it the second time.