No jail as thief wins forgiveness

Kelly Beach, of Potters Lane, took £13,000 from their bank accounts. She was given a 50-week prison sentence, but it was suspended for two years after the court was told of her grandmother's kind offer.

The case, at Warwick Crown Court, had been adjourned from an earlier hearing after Judge Richard Bray ordered that police get a statement from the grandmother before sentencing.

Beach pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and nine of using forged cheques.

At the original hearing the court was told June and David Northcote, Beach's grandmother and step-grandfather, had been married for a number of years but had split up for a short time in 2004.

Shortly afterwards their bank was asked to send all accounts to what was said to be Mr Northcote's business address.

Months later they were contacted by the bank to say their account was overdrawn. Inquires showed 21 cheques had been used to make payments over a 14-month period.

It was later found that the payments had been paid into Beach's bank account.