Friends of a mother found guilty of stealing more than $40,000 from the Gilbert Institute after-school programme said this week they felt sad for the woman but glad the case was finally over.

Lee Brown, 49, was unanimously found guilty on Thursday by a seven-woman, five-man jury in Supreme Court on charges of stealing and forgery dating from November 2003 to April 2005.

Brown was found guilty of taking $30,893 from various deposits meant for the programme's Bank of Bermuda account, and guilty of stealing more than $10,000 through forging signatures on the programme's cheques.

The six charges of forgery related to cheques totalling $6,090 where she forged signatures from the co-signees to present them to pay her bills.

Brown was handed the leadership of the programme by Linda Franks, the former president of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) who also founded the after-school programme.

Ms Franks was in the court room when the verdict was given and found herself in tears. "It's hard. My reaction is worse then expected.

"We were all really good friends and there was a lot of trust involved," she said.

"I am very sad about the entire situation. I just wish it had never happened. She's a mother just like I am and I just think of her child.

"Yesterday was the first I had heard from her about her financial problems. What was most hurtful was I could have helped her if it was just that."

During the court case, the jury heard how Brown paid for her gas bills, electricity bills and her son's application to Warwick Academy with cheques from the after-school programme.

These cheques, Brown, claimed had been approved by the two other women who could have cosigned the documents — Christine Place, the administrative assistant for the school, or Brenda Smith the other coordinator for the programme.

All of these questionable cheques had been cosigned by either Ms Smith or Ms Place, however, a handwriting expert during the trial explained those signatures could not have belonged to the women.

They did not match signatures on cheques the women were known to have written.

There was also the matter of frequency of cheques written out payable to Brown, which she explained were for expenses she had incurred paying for activities or items for the programme

Brown had claimed there was an expense log she believed her receipts for these purchases had been entered in. The document was never found or handed over to the Police.

Ms Smith, who was also present for the verdict and had given testimony during the trial, said she was glad her name had been cleared, but was saddened by the decision.

She said: "I am sad and I think more sad for her. I just hope that she gets help and whatever she needs.

"My reputation was brought in and was questioned at times. Justice was done and the truth was found out. We were like a family and it's just such a sad day."

Virginia Stephens, who was the PTA president during Brown's leadership in the after-school programme, said the verdict was a weight off her shoulders.

"I had migraines because I was there when it first happened and we had meetings and looked at all the documents," she said.

"My feelings are just ecstatic that it has come to an end and justice has been served."

Eunice Jones, the principal of Gilbert Institute, who was not there to hear the verdict, afterwards said she was also glad the process was over.

"It was not something expected or we wanted to go through but I am thankful that the legal process has gone through and that everything has ended," she said.