A 29-year-old mother-of-two received two years’ probation for trying to pay her debts using a family member’s bank account.Jamesha Valerie Van Lowe, from Malabar Close, pleaded guilty in June to using a false instrument to collect a cheque and dishonestly attempting to obtain $8,000 from Gladwin Simons on October 1, 2010.Magistrates’ Court heard that Van Lowe went to Butterfield Bank and presented a letter which purportedly authorised her to collect a manager’s cheque.Bank staff became suspicious when they noticed the signature did not match the one on file. They decided not to authorise the cheque, and instead notified other branches of the incident by e-mail.Van Lowe was later arrested trying to cash the cheque at the bank’s Reid Street branch.She admitted the offence in a police Interview, saying she needed the money to pay her rent. She said she took the account information from her great-uncle’s bank statements.Van Lowe apologised for the incident when in court yesterday.“At that point in time I did need help and didn’t know how to go about it,” she said.“This is not something I want to do or commit again.”Attorney Larry Mussenden stressed his client’s otherwise clean record. He said Van Lowe was trying to further her education and become a lawyer.He described the offence as a “halfhearted attempt” doomed to failure. In the end, the attempt amounted to nothing, he added.Said Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo: “That’s not because of her though. That’s because of the efficiency of the bank.”Mr Tokunbo sentenced Van Lowe to two years probation. He also ordered that she complete any programmes and services suggested by Court Services.“You are putting yourself at risk of some serious [jail] time,” Mr Tokunbo said. “You have put yourself in a position where you will have a conviction recorded against you.“This is going to be your opportunity to get yourself together. Take advantage of it.”