A “DETERMINED but useless thief” who gave herself fake refunds while working at a cafe has avoided jail.

Michelle Donovan changed her name so her bosses at Cofeelink at Marks Tey train station would not realise she had 20 previous fraud convictions and two more for theft for which she had served lengthy jail sentences.

After landing the job in January last year, Donovan became desperate for cash after being told her family were being evicted from their caravan in Mersea and needed to raise a deposit for a new property.

She successfully used the refund function on the till to give herself £15, and then started to increase the level of cash and eventually managed to nab £1,915 for herself.

Some of the attempts by Donovan, 31, to steal larger amounts were rejected including when she mistakenly tried to take £5,000.

After she was arrested, she left the role but managed to get a job as a cleaner via an agency.

But whilst working in a private house, the mum-of-two stole a total of four Tiffany necklaces.

Two of them were recovered, but she had sold the other two online for £500 each when their total value was closer to £3,000.

Donovan, of Blade Road, Colchester, admitted five counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of theft and dishonestly failing to disclose information.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Caroline Woodley, mitigating said: “She panicked about raising the money needed for the deposit and made the regrettable decision to steal.”

Recorder Kenneth Carr labelled Donovan determined, manipulative and useless but decided to suspend her 16 month jail sentence for two years as a friend had agreed to pay compensation to the people she had stolen from.

He said: “You knew full well what you were doing when you stole money from the coffee shop and you knew what you were doing when you stole expensive jewellery.

“You cannot imagine how distressing it is to find something you value in your own home has been stolen.

“I am persuaded to take a merciful course for one reason only – and that is because there is compensation available.

“If you commit another offence of dishonest within the next two years you will undoubtedly go to prison.

“There comes a time when you have to take a merciful course.

“It will be yourself and your young family who you would be letting down.”

Donovan must complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, pay £6,000 for the jewellery and £1,915 to Coffeelink.