A SOLICITOR'S wife who stole nearly £80,000 from the law firm where she worked to fund her gambling habit has been jailed for 10 months.

Conveyancing assistant Suzanne Orton admitted four charges of theft from Harold G Walker between April 29, 2004 and February 17, 2006, while her husband Kim was a partner in the company.

The 63-year-old from Gladstone Road East, Bournemouth, also pleaded guilty to four false accounting offences between February 4, 2005 and February 17, 2006.

Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday, James Patrick said the mother-of-two had raided clients' accounts to cover up the money she was putting into slot machines at a local bingo hall.

Irregularities in the company accounts were discovered while the Ortons were on holiday in Egypt. Mr Patrick added: "There was nothing to suggest Mr Orton was criminally involved."

Defending, Susan Evans said her client was "utterly appalled" by her actions. "I don't think Mr Orton realised what sort of a toll working such long hours, sometimes seven days a week and late into the night, was having on his wife," she said.

"She was anxious and extremely stressed. Her visits to bingo seemed to be relieving the stress; he didn't realise she was playing fruit machines.

"Mrs Orton gambled up to £500 a night on fruit machines. She has a pathologic gambling disorder; she didn't just take the firm's money, she spent £100,000 of their own money on this addiction as well. Peter was robbed to pay Paul. Her real fear was that if her husband found out she would lose him."

Sentencing Orton, Judge Christopher Harvey Clarke QC told her: "In many ways this is a very sad case. It involves a serious breach of trust; you were in a responsible position with a firm of solicitors.

"The offences involved so much money, took place over such a period of time and involved such duplicity the court has to pass an immediate sentence of imprisonment."

In a statement Harold G Walker said: "We dealt with the matter by taking swift internal action and would like to thank the authorities for their help in finally bringing this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."