She knew that when she appeared in Maitland Local Court later in the day to face 28 fraud charges, she may not be at home that afternoon to pick them up.

The single mother, of Hall Street, Cessnock, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars for stealing more than $190,000 from her former Rutherford employer.

She worked as an office manager at Abode Fencing at Rutherford when she cashed a number of unauthorised cheques on behalf of the company on a monthly basis over months.

She started doctoring the cheques in November 2009 and the last group of cheques she cashed was in February, last year.

The cheques were presented to a bank in Rutherford and the amounts varied each month.

In December 2010 she banked $22,490.

Magistrate Sharron Crews said it was an opportunistic act where she used the money to live the lifestyle of someone earning more than $100,000 per year.

“It’s not a situation of someone struggling to put a roof over their head; it is a very expensive lifestyle [she was living],” she said. “It is evidence of a lifestyle well above and beyond a lifestyle that most people are accustomed to.”

Ms Crews made reference to a comment made by a psychologist in Harris’ pre-sentence report, which spoke about her using the power of her managerial position to her advantage.

“You were put in a position of power and you used that to your advantage,” she said.

Harris’ solicitor told the court she used the money to give her children a lifestyle beyond their means.

“She did use the money to provide a materialistic lifestyle for her children,” she said.

“[But] the thought of not being there to spend next Christmas with her children or being there to pick them up from the school bus is very distressing for her.”

Harris’s solicitor said her client had experienced a breakdown in her relationship with her partner at the same time she started acting dishonestly. She also had two other fraud offences in the past where she defrauded Centrelink of $8000.

Ms Crews acknowledged that Harris had told her former employees she was sorry for what she had done, telling them, “I’ll pay you back, I can’t go to jail, my kids mean too much to me”.

Harris’s solicitor said her client had the ability to repay the owners of the business $30 a week, but Ms Crews said it would hardly put a dent in it.

“They are not likely to see this money ever again,” she said.

Harris will be eligible for parole in September 2013.