A DISHONEST North Yorkshire woman has kept her freedom - because the female prisons are bulging and her husband needs his wife.

Sarah Louise Mills, 29, of Cherry Tree Court, Barlby, pleaded guilty to five offences of providing false accountancy information, when she appeared before York Crown Court on charges of defrauding her employers, Greenwood Personal Credit Ltd.

Tim Capstick, prosecuting, said that Mills had been authorised to issue loans. She used four fictitious names on bogus loan applications to her company and pocketed the proceeds.

Then she used the real identity of a family associate, who received payment demands for a loan in her name she knew nothing about.

The second woman complained to the company and Mills's deceit was uncovered.

It was the third time in four years she had appeared before courts for deception. She had received community rehabilitation orders in the past.

"You are a dishonest woman," the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman told her. "Each time you commit a crime like this, you let down your husband, who appears to be a decent, hard-working man."

He added that a few years ago, when female prisons were not so full, she would have inevitably been jailed for breaching her employers' trust.

But because the prisons were full, and jailing her would deprive her husband of a wife, he gave her a three-year community rehabilitation order instead and ordered her to pay £400 compensation to the company.

"You have had a very narrow squeak," he told her.

Mr Hickey said she had netted £500 from her crimes and told police she had needed money to pay mortgage arrears.

Her barrister, Geraldine Kelly, said Mills had already repaid £100 of the money and was taking counselling. At the time of the offences, she had sought help from the probation service, but did not receive any because her previous court order had expired.

She had originally been charged with seven offences relating to loans, but two of them involved a relative and were not proceeded with.

Updated: 11:54 Saturday, December 21, 2002