A HOTEL manager who stole more than £11,000 from her employers over a four year period has been ordered today to repay the full amount.

Magistrates in Cheltenham decided not to impose any other penalty than a compensation order on Lilian Chambers, aged 60, who pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud and two of theft from the Greene King pub and hotel chain.

The court chairman, Simon Pitt, told Chambers, of Thrupp Lane, Stroud, that the bench was not punishing her in any other way because until she offended she had always been an 'upstanding citizen'.

Chambers - who ran the 16th century pub and hotel in Kingscote, Tetbury, for Greene King - admitted that between July 1, 2013 and November 30, 2017 she committed two offences of fraud by false representation against her employers by giving her personal bank account details to a corporate customer rather than the company's details.

She also admitted two charges of theft of the same sum of money between the same dates.

Prosecutor Ibrar Naqvi told the court that Chambers had worked as a manager for Greene King from September 2009 until November 2017 and she had responsibility for the everyday running of the hotel, restaurant and bar. 

One of the customers of the hotel was the Matara wedding company, he said.

After she left her employment in 2017 the financial records were checked and it was found that payments had been made to her personal bank account by Matara rather than Greene King's. 

She had generated invoices for payment by Matara directly to her account.

Mr Pitt said it was clear she was remorseful, that she had not offended in any way since, that there was no risk of her offending again, and that the probation service did not feel she needed any kind of help or intervention in her life.

The court ordered her to repay Greene King £11,115 at the rate of £200 a month and she was discharged.