timesharing unit in Florida, rent and retailers' bills, was yesterday jailed for nine months.

Lucinda Bean, 29, pleaded guilty to 26 counts of theft, forgery and falsifying documents before Puisne Judge the Hon. Mrs. Justice Wade.

"Yours is a case of a serious breach of trust not once but on several occasions,'' said Mrs. Justice Wade. "The court cannot accept that there existed exceptional circumstances during the time you committed these offences (to keep you from prison).'' Crown counsel Ms Sharon Kenny told the court that Bean began working at the Church Street bank in 1982, serving as assistant to the assistant manager of the operations department between March 1990 and November 1991.

She was responsible for reconciling a number of accounts.

Ms Kenny said Bean was earning $2,500 each month from the bank and approximately $1,000 per month from a second job.

She said that Bean admitted stealing $12,000 on October 11, 1990 to repay a debt to a friend; on January 23, 1991, Bean stole $1350 after she failed to secure a loan from the bank; on April 16, 1991, Bean forged and uttered a bank debit form, securing $13,350 which she used to cover up her previous thefts.

Between January 30 and February 27 1991, Bean stole $2,804.50 from the bank for her personal use; on February 27, she forged and uttered a bank credit form for the same amount to cover up the theft.

On April 16, Bean forged both a credit and a debit form in hopes of covering up her previous forgery.

Between February 26 and March 5, Bean stole a further $2,030 from the bank which she used to pay bills and her rent. She subsequently forged and uttered a debit form in an attempt to hide the theft.

Between March 14 and March 19 she stole an additional $1,056 from the bank to pay bills; on August 28 she forged a debit form and uttered the false document on September 12 to cover up the theft.

On March 18 she stole $2,250 which she paid to her Signature card account and she covered this up by forging a debit form on March 28 and uttering it on April 12.

Between March 30 and May 3, she stole an additional $3,475.40 which she used to pay her rent and outstanding bills at local stores. She attempted to cover this up by forging and uttering a debit form on May 10 in the same amount.

Between June 2 and August 6, Bean stole $3753 to pay rent and more bills. She forged and uttered another debit form to the amount of $4653 on September 12 to cover up her actions.

On May 13, Bean stole US $672.54 to aid in payments on her timeshare unit. She forged and uttered debit forms in the amount of $66 on February 21 of 1992 to reimburse the sundry account at the bank.

Ms Kenny said Bean was transferred to the computer department at the end of 1991. After an examination of the bank's transactions in January of the following year, department managers became suspicious and soon found that $29,000 was outstanding.

Bean was confronted and after questioning, admitted she had taken the money.

Ms Kenny said Bean had repaid $3520 to the bank but said the theft was "deliberate and well-orchestrated'' and "a serious dereliction of duty'' which warranted no less than a year in prison.

Bean's lawyer, Mr. Delroy Duncan said that his client had fully cooperated with Police and had a previously unblemished record. He said that she would suffer from ''a public stain'' through her guilty plea and "a private torture'' caused by her actions for the rest of her life. For this reason, he said, Bean should be given a suspended sentence.

Mrs. Justice Wade jailed Bean for nine months for each count of theft and six months for each count of forgery. She allowed the sentences to run concurrently.