An online gambler who stole nearly £400,000 from her employer was jailed, as the judge criticised her for not only stealing the money but also "a part of a decent man's life."

Suzan Smith, 53, a trusted senior employer at Graham Wuyts and Co Accountants, admitted stealing £398,651,26 from her employer. Judge Peter Jacobs sentenced her to three and half years in prison.

The judge also note the crime had had a devastating effect on both the company and its 63-year-old owner, Graham Wuyt. Wuyt had planned to retire shortly and had had to postpone his retirement by five years in order to repay clients who had also been the victim of the theft.

Prosecuting, Kevin Eastwick, told the court that Smith had been employed by the company since 1999 and had gone from being the receptionist to Wuyt's 'right-hand man'. She handled a number of crucial roles including paying the company bills and dealing with clients bills.

The thefts were uncovered last July as the company ran into cash flow problems. An investigation uncovered £65,000 was missing from the client account and £250,000 from the company account.

Smith who admitted the thefts and told the Police she spent the money and used the company credit card to fund her gambling habit for years.