A REDDITCH woman and her boyfriend, who staged a fake robbery at the company where she worked, have been given suspended prison sentences.

Toni Reynolds, 32, had told her bosses that almost £6,500 she had in her handbag had been snatched as she left the building in Telford.

But Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that she became a suspect after CCTV failed to show any evidence of the attack.

The court heard that Reynolds, and her 34-year-old boyfriend, Matthew Hawkins, had hatched the plot to steal the cash.

Both defendants were given eight month prison sentences, suspended for 12 months, and will be under supervision for a year.

Hawkins was ordered to pay £2,400 compensation.

Reynolds, of Lilleshall Close in Redditch, and Hawkins, of Felton Close in Redditch, both admitted a charge of the theft of £6,471 from Eden Horticulture, a hydroponics manufacturing company, of Halesfield in Telford, where she was an operations manager.

Mr Rob Edwards, prosecuting, told the court that the pair - who had known each other since childhood - decided to take the money from Reynolds' employers where she worked in sales and accounts which involved handling cash.

On August 8 last year she was known to have left the building with a large amount of money in her handbag.

“But 10 minutes later she came back and appeared to be crying. Her bag was now missing and she said she had been robbed having been pushed in to a bush by a man,” he said.

However, there was no CCTV evidence to back up her story and she became a suspect and Hawkins was placed at the scene by mobile phone records and text messages between the two defendants showing their intention to commit the crime.

Mr Stephen Cadwaladr, for Reynolds, said his client and Hawkins had rekindled their friendship at a time when Reynolds was having problems in her marriage and was drinking heavily.

“She is racked with remorse and has lost her job as a result of her actions," he said.

Ms Amanda Tomkins, for Hawkins, said her client was "extremely remorseful" for his actions.