A debt-ridden widow who says she was forced to steal after her husband was killed in Hurricane Fabian was given a second chance in Magistrates? Court on Thursday.

Monica Correiro-Pacheco of Mariners Lane, Spanish Point, Pembroke pleaded guilty to stealing $5,232.60 from her former employer, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, between January 31 and March 27, 2006, stealing $2,099 from April 8 to 19, and between January 31 and April 19 acting as a clerk with intent to defraud or falsify an account to British Airways which was maintained by her employer.

Correiro-Pacheco apparently fell into serious financial difficulties after her husband Manuel was killed along with three other people on the Causeway three years ago.

In November, 2003 she told she was thinking of suing her former employer Rooms for You, because she was left broke when they suddenly closed.

She said then that her cheques from the company had bounced and she was more than $6,000 out of pocket.

Correiro-Pacheco got a job at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and had been working there for several months when she said desperation forced her to begin taking money.

The hotel caught up with her when she began to misuse a British Airways account at the hotel to get money, using her own till.

On Thursday, Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told the court: ?We can?t support the complainant not being given a custodial sentence. Over $7,000 was stolen. This type of offence should be given an immediate custodial sentence.?

However, Correiro-Pacheco?s lawyer, Rick Woolridge, said that what the court was seeing was the outcome of Hurricane Fabian.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo replied: ?You can?t put this all on the hurricane. Even she doesn?t do that.?

Mr. Woolridge said: ?She has been experiencing financial difficulties due to debts left by her late husband. She tried to get help. Creditors were knocking on her door and she succumbed to temptation.

?To date she still hasn?t received any grief counselling because she can?t afford it. This was not a smash and grab that was done for greed or to satisfy a drug habit. She took the money to pay off her late husband?s debts. It doesn?t make it any more honourable, but he who steals to feed his children is different from the guy who steals a Rolex watch.?

The Magistrate said that the court was not immune to the circumstances of the defendant.

?This is certainly a case where the court and society could have some empathy,? Mr. Woolridge said. ?This lady was crying out for assistance. She has a six-year-old son and was helping with raising her 17-year-old sibling. We have to do something. The risk of her re-offending is minimised.

?If she comes back to the court and the court finds that she has misused or abused the court?s time then she can be dealt with. Her integrity will have been forfeited.?

Mr. Woolridge said Correiro-Pacheco?s father was now helping her to make full restitution to the hotel.

Fairmont Hamilton Princess credit manager Christine Ambrosini was in the court room for the proceedings. Mr. Woolridge handed her a letter of apology. She stood and spoke to the Magistrate.

?I always felt she was of good character until this incident,? Mrs. Ambrosini said. ?She was a reliable employee and always ready to do what was asked of her. Obviously, when I discovered what had happened she was terminated.

?I am the credit manager and it is my job to see we get restitution. We are not interested in seeing her go to prison. That was not our intent but this is a serious situation that needed to be followed through. Having a child doesn?t preclude what has happened. She has given full restitution and a letter of apology, but there still needs to be a consequence.?

A tearful Correiro-Pacheco apologised to the court. There were many sympathetic tears all around the courtroom for her.

?I didn?t mean to do it,? she said. ?It just happened. The bill collectors were calling every five minutes. They were saying give it now or you go to court. I called Financial Assistance and they said I was making too much money to receive assistance.?

Mr. Tokunbo said that the appropriate sentence was one of imprisonment.

?Taking into account she was a person of good character before this happened as outlined in the social inquiry report, and taking into account her genuine remorse and her method and the period of time that the money was taken, and the fact that restitution will be made available, I give her a six month sentence for each count suspended for two years with a like period of probation. Also, she should undertake counselling, and take advantage of any other services offered to her by Probation Services.?