Tesco worker Christine St Michaels stole £250 from the tills but avoided jail and community service after complaining of headaches and nosebleeds . A Tesco worker who stole £250 from the tills has avoided jail or community service after complaining that she suffers from headaches and nosebleeds. Christine St Michaels, 33, was spotted on CCTV slipping money into her pockets as she filled up cash registers at the Leytonstone branch in north east London. She initially refused to empty her pockets when confronted by customer manager Robert Sharman, but St Michaels eventually revealed the £250 in cash. Tesco staff are barred from having any personal cash on them while they are working. St Michaels, who had worked at the Tesco branch for 12 years, was found guilty of theft and ordered to pay a £250 restitution order and £500 in prosecution costs. But she was not ordered to carry out community service after Snaresbrook Crown Court heard  she suffers regular headaches and nosebleeds. She received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, in addition to a three-month curfew. Criticising a pre-sentence report suggesting St Michaels should be exempt from community service, Judge Simon Freeland QC said: 'This trial included normal working hours, this defendant gave evidence to the jury and was cross examined. 'She didn't require any form of facility to deal with these headaches and nosebleeds and there were no outward manifestations of discomfort whatsoever.' During her trial St Michaels claimed the CCTV footage of her slipping the notes into her pocket was actually her 'double checking' to make sure no notes had accidentally fallen out of the cash tray into the bottom of the drawer. She claimed: 'It was money I had had in my pocket because I was going to take it to the bank - I had accumulated it over time at home. 'It was money that had been lying around. I thought 'Let me just put it in my account'.' Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how the cashier told Mr Sharman: 'I know this looks bad, but it's my own money, I was going to put it in the bank and I forgot it was in my pocket.' Judge Freeland said: 'This was a significant breach of trust. 'On the 6 February of this year following a fully and strenuously contested trial you were convicted of one count of theft from Tesco - something which was a serious and flagrant breach of trust. 'You had been employed as a cashier at a Leytonstone branch of Tesco for some 12 years, up to the 24 April 2013. 'You were summarily dismissed following the observations of the store manager which led to your trial and conviction. 'Your duties included doing the change run before the store opened. She was spotted on CCTV slipping money into her pockets as she filled up cash registers at the Leytonstone branch in north east London (not pictured) 'Your duties were to the extent that you were trusted not only to be honest but to act with complete integrity. 'You were observed by Robert Sharman, the store manager, who had access to viewing the CCTV, and he saw you helping yourself to monies, misappropriating them and putting them into your pocket. 'This was to the extent that you were caught red handed with your hands literally in the till. 'This involved a flagrant breach of trust and I have no doubt that you thought about what you were going to go, and you planned what you were going to do. 'It was consistent in as much as it involved four tills and not merely one till.' Judge Freeland added that a pre-sentence report indicated St Michaels displayed 'not one shred' of remorse. At an earlier hearing, the cashier's barrister Stephen Talbot-Hadley said: 'This defendant is now 33-years-old, as a result of her arrest she was immediately dismissed from Tesco - that's not a mitigating factor but she's since been on employment support allowance of £72.40 per week. 'She's not someone who has any drug or alcohol problems - she lives with her mother, her sister and her two nephews. 'Her father died in 1982 and her mother has been responsible for the family since then.' Mr Talbot-Hadley said St Michaels' only income came in the form of the fortnightly benefit, before adding there was 'no evidence of a lavish lifestyle.' 'She has asked me to express her genuine remorse to the court having reflected on the matter,' he continued. 'As a consequence of her behaviour she has lost her employment, but more moreover the nature of this particular offence will mean it will have a significant impact on her future job prospects. 'It is also right to say that hitherto she was a person of good character.' As part of her electronic curfew St Michaels must remain at home between the hours of 7pm and 7am for the next three months. She was ordered to pay a £250 restitution order and £500 in prosecution costs. St Michaels from Wanstead denied but was convicted of one charge of theft.
Christine St Michaels, 33, was spotted on CCTV stealing £250 from tills . Tesco cashier was found guilty of theft and ordered to pay £750 in costs . But she was not jailed or ordered to carry out community service . She complained to court saying she suffered  headaches and nosebleeds . Cashier received a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years .