A 27-year-old woman whose personal demons were cited in Supreme Court yesterday as her reason for stealing $68,000 from her employer was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Mekeba Peets of Derwent Lane, Devonshire pleaded guilty to stealing and forging 19 cheques from her employer, Certified Systems Ltd, between November 22, 2002 and May 22, 2003.

Crown counsel Lloyd Rayney told the court that Peets, who was in a position of trust as the person in charge of paying bills, made the 19 cheques payable to herself and forging her employer's signature.

She avoided being caught by whiting out her name on the cheque copies and substituting it with the name of the correct creditors when the cheque copies were sent back from the bank. She then photocopied the copies and filed them as the true copy from the bank.

The last cheque she forged was on her last day at the company at the sum of $7284.43.

Mr. Rayney said Peets only confessed that she forged all 19 cheques when she was "literally presented with the evidence" during a third interview by the Police.

"The complainant initially discovered four forged cheques payable to the offender and he therefore contacted her by phone," Mr. Rayney said. "Rather than admitting what she had done, the offender lied by claiming she had only forged two cheques.

"She also said she would pay back the money she had stolen to the offender. This was never done."

Mr. Rayney said Peets should receive an immediate custodial sentence but probation to follow.

Her lawyer, Mark Pettingill, agreed that his client needed imprisonment as a "punitive measure" but that her problems would be addressed in "short order" if she was given a year in prison along with probation.

He said: "She has suffered for a number of years from a lack of self worth."

Before being sentenced Peets apologised for her actions, saying: "I have been dealing wit issues that I haven't been able to come to terms with. I hope that I will be able to change my life around and get the support that I really need."

Chief Justice Richard Ground said he regarded this crime as a serious offence. He said: "$68,000 is a lot of anyone's money."

He said Peets was solely responsible for the crime and there was a real need to protect her from the public.

Because he sentenced Peets to a custodial sentence he said it would not realistic to think she could repay $68,000 back.

Instead he added two years of probation to be carried out after the 18 months she will spend in jail.