A cashier who admitted stealing $33,522.23 from S.A.L. Trading Limited appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Shantell Floshan Washington, 20, of Rec View Hill, in Devonshire, admitted to stealing the money between April 1 and August 26, last year, by falsifying 170 credit returns.

Washington pleaded guilty to one count of theft yesterday and 20 counts of false accounting, whereby she created credit memos for goods that were never returned, made or required for accounting purposes.

On one occasion she falsified a credit memo for $168.30, while on July 20, she falsified a memo for $567.13.

The court heard that Washington was a cashier at the S.A.L. branch in Devonshire, responsible for billing out merchandise to all cash paying and charge account customers and receiving payments to customer's accounts and processing returns.

She was also responsible for balancing her end-of-day cash to the end of day reports and maintaining cash flow.

She was employed at the hardware company from mid-November 2006 to August 28, 2007, at which point she was suspended from employment due to irregularities end of day pay work.

She had accumulated 170 returns and was unable to give a satisfactory reason for the inconsistencies, the court heard. Only one other employee had one credit memo missing on one occasion.

Washington was subsequently arrested and admitted to stealing from S.A.L. She told Police she was short of cash and used the money to pay for large cell phone bills and wanted to buy a motorcycle. She also told Police it was used for "going out with friends and stuff" and "probably partying a lot".

She appeared unrepresented in Magistrates' Court, however was assisted by lawyer Larry Scott who asked that a social inquiry report be ordered for the young woman.

Washington will appear back in court on October 16 for sentencing. Until then she was released on $2,000 bail, with one surety.