A young shop manager stole £15,000 over a three-year period to pay off a former boss who she claims was blackmailing her, a court heard.

Lucy Cooper, 24, stole £200 a week from Kodak Express photographic shop, in Oxford's Clarendon Centre, by not ringing cash into the till.

Oxford Crown Court heard the cash was used to pay off the landlord of a pub where she had worked, who was threatening to report her to the police for stealing money from him.

Cooper was ordered to do 200 hours' community service after admitting theft.

The recorder, Michael Challinor, spared her from prison after hearing she had a history of psychiatric illness including bouts of anorexia nervosa and depression. David Bright, prosecuting, said the owners of the Kodak shop began noticing that profits were down soon after Cooper took over as manager in June 1994. Bosses finally installed a hidden camera and caught Cooper in the act after profits fell by 25 per cent, the court heard.

Mr Bright said: "No sales were run up by the defendant. It was then too easy to take the money that had been received but not accounted for."

The company later estimated its losses were approaching £80,000, though in interviews with police Cooper only admitted stealing only £15,000. The court heard that Cooper, of Upper Court Cottages, Chadlington, Bucks, had agreed to pay back the money she stole to Kodak and she and her fiance had put their car and house up for sale. Jonathan Coode, defending, said Cooper was accused by her former boss of stealing £50,000 from his till, but had only taken £400. He said that as a result Cooper entered into a 'contract' to pay the landlord more than £14,000 or else he would 'inform the entire village about it'. Mr Coode said: "She stupidly thought that the only way to get out of that was to repeat the offence."

Mr Coode said : "She is visibly terrified by your honour's decision this morning. She has been in floods of tears.

"She has done everything she possibly can to give this money back."

Sentencing her, Mr Challinor said: "She had come very close to being sent to prison."

He said: "I hope you will not be so foolish to steal from your employer again."

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