A housekeeper at the Cambridge Beaches hotel was caught in a sting operation after stealing from a British tourist's room.

Sharon Kay Smith, 18, abused her position of trust to steal three leather belts from holidaymaker Shirley Bridgwater in June.

She had been employed at the resort between May 22 and June 22, but management became suspicious when guests started to report items missing from rooms that she had cleaned. She was trapped by a staff member who set up a room for her to clean with cash and jewellery — which she then stole.

Commenting on the case after Smith was handed a 12-month conditional discharge by a Magistrate, Cambridge Beaches president and chief executive officer Michael Winfield said: "Bermuda's reputation for safety, courtesy and honesty is paramount to its continued success as a tourism destination.

"Stealing from tourists, particularly stealing from them when in a position of trust, is a crime against the guests, the hotel, the country and its people and only serves to send one couple away feeling violated and having them tell many, many more, all of whom could have been guests in the future."

According to the facts outlined by the prosecution, Mrs. Bridgwater reported to staff on June 18 that her three belts had gone missing — prompting hotel employee Rachel Lariviere to set up the sting operation.

On June 22, she placed $59 in the drawer of a room which she arranged to make it look like it was occupied. Two $20 bills among the cash were marked with the initials TB and four $1 bills were marked with Ms Lariviere's signature.

She also placed two silver rings in a bag among some other jewellery in the same drawer. The defendant was assigned to clean the room — and after she finished, Ms Lariviere checked the drawer and discovered the rings and $42 of the cash were missing.

When Police were called in, they found the stolen marked cash in Smith's wallet. She then removed the two rings from the waistline of her pants and handed them over to the officers.

After her arrest, she admitted taking the cash and rings, the three leather belts and a brown and white jacket from separate guest rooms at the hotel. The clothing items were later recovered from her home in Sandtrap Hill, Sandys, where she lives with her mother.

Smith told the Police that she stole the items so she could wear them. Defence lawyer Jaymo Durham told Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo that Smith is a first-time offender, and experienced a "challenging childhood". He explained she wishes to pursue a career abroad as a paediatrician.

With the maximum sentence for theft being a five-year jail term or a $10,000 fine at Magistrates' Court, he asked that she be given a punishment at the lower end of this scale.

Smith herself apologised for her actions.

Sentencing her to the conditional discharge — which means Smith will not have a criminal conviction on her record as long as she behaves over the next year — Mr. Tokunbo told her: "You have taken responsibility for your actions and you have no previous convictions. I trust that this experience is one that you will not repeat again."

The case is the second in recent months involving a room attendant stealing from guests at Cambridge Beaches. In December last year, The Royal Gazette reported on the prosecution of Karon Smith, who was caught in a similar sting operation mounted by hotel managers. Smith was trapped stealing $35 by hidden cameras placed in a room after several guests complained of their cash going missing in November 2006. She later admitted the theft.

Commenting on the two cases, hotel manager Richard Quinn said both Sharon Smith and Karon Smith — who are not believed to be related — were dismissed immediately upon their dishonesty coming to light. All hotel employees are subject to vetting procedures designed to pick up previous convictions, he said, but neither of the two housekeepers had any. Mr. Quinn added that anyone caught stealing from guests would be dealt with "to the full extent of the law."