Employee 'stole to tackle debts'

A receptionist from Leicester who stole almost £7,000 from her employers has been spared jail.

Lesley Grace, 46, of Halifax Drive, pocketed rent money paid in at the Roy Green chartered surveyors and estate agents' offices in Upper King Street.

She then spent it in casinos, hoping for a big win to pay off the £25,000 she and her partner owed debt agencies.

Grace received a community order at Leicester Crown Court and was told to do 150 hours of unpaid community work.