A former manager of finance and administration at the Department of Immigration was yesterday sentenced to a year in prison in Supreme Court for stealing over $150,000 from the public purse.

However, Jameal Joanne Woods, 42, of Cocoa Lane, St. George?s could have been jailed for three years, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves said in his sentencing.

Mr. Justice Greaves told the court room ? packed with Woods? friends and family ? that cases in both Bermuda and the UK pointed to a sentencing range of one year in prison for every $50,000 stolen.

?This was a serious breach of the public trust,? Mr. Justice Greaves said of the ?unlawful embezzlement?. ?A sentence of three years would not be inappropriate. People must be convinced that it is cheaper to work hard than it is to steal.?

However, because of Woods? otherwise impeccable character, genuine remorse and low likelihood of re-offending, he said a sentence of 12 months ?with time already served taken into consideration ? would suffice.

In addition, prosecutors would try to seize equivalent assets from Woods under the Proceeds of Crime Act, he said ? and full restitution of stolen sums was a highly substantial mitigating factor.

Crown counsel Shakira Dill said Woods was promoted to manager of finance and administration at the Department of Immigration in May 2003.

The prosecutor explained at the end of the day Woods entered the daily Immigration tally into a computer, filled out an ?5A form? and sent the money to the Accountant General.

But when Woods went on vacation on April 6, 2004, Assistant Chief Immigration Officer Majiedah (Rozy) Azhar discovered money was missing and notified Police.

On Woods return to the Island on April 13, 2004, she was suspended from Immigration, Ms Dill said.

And on April 20, 2004, Woods confessed she stole around $154,000.

Ms Dill said the maximum sentence for stealing was five years in prison and the maximum sentence for fraudulent or false accounting by a servant was two years.

She said this behaviour was not to be treated lightly.

?The defendant was in a position of trust as a supervisor,? she said.

Defence lawyer Mark Pettingill conceded that a prison sentence for his client was inevitable.

?I admit that prison is a fact of the consequences of what occurred here,? he said. ?But this is a situation to be as lenient as the law allows. That jailhouse door closed very, very loudly on his lady, and her friends, family, colleagues, children and boss.

?Everyone suffers as a result of Joanne Woods being removed from their lives,? he said.

Mr. Pettingill said a year in prison would be a very, very long time for his client and the people around her.

And he guaranteed to assist Woods in paying back the stolen $154,729.75 as she had already been guaranteed a job in a doctor?s office on her release from prison.

Mr. Pettingill said the money was used for building a house.

Det. Insp. Nicholas Pedro said Woods had two children, aged ten and 14, and had a clean record.