months following the theft of $500 from her employers.

At Magistrates' Court yesterday, Renee Lewis, 25, admitted stealing the cash from a safe at the Lantana Colony Club, Sandys, while employed as a front desk clerk.

And despite pleas from defence lawyer Mr. Archie Warner, Magistrate the Wor.

Cheryl-Ann Mapp refused to allow time for reports or to bail the defendant pending appeal.

The court heard that Lewis was given two jail sentences totalling 12 months at the Supreme Court in 1991 for stealing more than $30,000 and filling out a fraudulent bank slip when she was a trainee bank clerk at the Bank of Bermuda.

But Mr. Warner said she had served her time and held several jobs before her latest offence.

He added Lewis now drove a taxi part-time because she looked after her invalid mother who had recently suffered an amputation.

But Mrs. Mapp told Lewis that the fact she was pregnant and other mitigating factors were not enough to escape an immediate jail sentence.

She told Lewis: "For whatever reason, you have not taken any of the opportunities you were given in the past.

"You at least had the benefit of employment in various places throughout this time -- however, you like literally to bite the hand that is feeding you.'' Mrs. Mapp added the sentence would have been higher, but she had applied a "discount'' because of Mr. Warner's pleas.

But she told the defendant: "You appear to be a habitual thief and you don't seem to have learned your lesson from your periods of incarceration in the past.

"To send someone to prison at this time of year is not a thing I like to do lightly.

"But persons who employ people to do business on their behalf shouldn't have to worry about the honesty of those employees.'' Police prosecutor Sgt. Donald Grant said the theft occurred in October last year.

He told the court a guest at Lantana asked for $500 in traveller's cheques to be changed into cash but there was not enough cash on hand at the time.

An employee went to a bank, changed the cheques into cash, which was then sealed in a Bank of Bermuda envelope and placed inside the complex's safe.

But when the employee returned later, the cash was gone and the Police were called.

Sgt. Grant said that following inquiries and information received, Lewis was arrested and admitted the offence. The cash -- still in the envelope -- was found in her personal belongings at the Lantana.

Last night Mr. Warner said he would be lodging an appeal against the sentence at the earliest opportunity.