A WORKER at a Blackburn care home started using Christmas club money she had collected from workmates to fend off creditors after finding herself caught in a debt trap, a court was told.

Blackburn magistrates heard that single parent Judith Nicola Craven pocketed £2,100 given her by colleagues, including her sister.

Craven, 35, of Didsbury Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft of £500 from Barbara Maudsley and £321 from Ann Pearson and asked for six offences to be taken into consideration.

She was made subject to a community supervision order for 12 months and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Peter Wild, prosecuting, said Craven ran a Christmas Club for Home Farm Hampers in 2004 and at the end of the year participants received hampers or shopping vouchers.

In January 2005 she set up the club again and started collecting money from eight colleagues at Longshaw Care Home, Crosby Road.

"Her colleagues and her sister agreed to pay money to her expecting to receive either vouchers or hampers in December," said Mr Wild.

"Over the course of the year she pocketed the money.

"When colleagues raised concerns with her in December she initially said she was having problems with the hamper company.

"Home Farm contacted the police after receiving complaints."

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said there was no suggestion Craven had frittered the money away on luxury items or living the high life.

"This was a lady in desperate financial straits who was being handed a sum of cash," said Mr Church-Taylor. "She had bills, threats of eviction, threats of being disconnected and threats of the bailiffs.

"The club money she was being given just staved off what was being threatened against her."

He said that before she was charged Craven had borrowed money from her brother-in-law and paid back all the money she had taken.