A former bank teller has been given a conditional discharge after admitting to stealing $4,000 from an elderly Bank of N.T. Butterfield customer.

Michelle Soares Cabral, 19, of My Lord's Bay Lane, Hamilton Parish, had earlier pleaded guilty to making a document without authority and stealing.

Yesterday in the Supreme Court, defence lawyer Mark Pettingill said prison was unnecessary but his client would benefit from monitoring.

Crown Counsel Charmaine Smith did not object to probation.

Cabral, who has paid all the stolen money back, apologised to the court and said she had brought shame on the bank, herself and her family.

She said she would never do a favour for anyone else again - even if she felt threatened by them.

Earlier she had testified that she stole the money to pay a former lover after causing damage to his car.

Cabral had been employed as a bank teller at the bank's St. George's branch but got into trouble just days after joining the branch.

After serving a customer on September 6, 2001, Cabral forged the woman's signature on another bank slip and withdrew $4,000 from her account.

Cabral kept the money and handed the bank slip in with all her daily transactions.

When the victim received her statement on October 8 that year, she realised that $4,000 had been withdrawn from her account and made a formal complaint.

An internal investigation was carried out, which revealed Cabral as the one responsible for the theft. Cabral admitted the theft, was suspended immediately and later sacked.

Assistant Justice Charles-Etta Simmons sentenced her to conditional discharge with 12 months probation.

She said: "I am not taking this lightly. You were trusted by the bank. You are a young person, not in trouble before."

She warned Cabral to follow probation conditions and stay out of trouble or risk getting punished for the stealing offence.