A 'Good Samaritan' who employed a convicted conwoman on prison work release faced near-ruin after she stole more than $24,000 from her.

Kind-hearted Doris Goodman, 74, saw one of her businesses collapse after career fraudster Phyllis Marva Iona Soares ? who has committed almost 200 previous offences ? abused her trust.

The senior told Supreme Court her other business only narrowly survived, meaning that she has to continue working due to limited financial resources.

Jailing 49-year-old Soares for a year, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves said she had one of the worst fraud records he had ever seen. Senior Crown Crown counsel Paula Tyndale told the hearing that Ms Goodman hired the defendant in May 2002 upon her release on parole from Co-Ed to work at as an administrative assistant at Reporting and Transcription Services.

The correctional facility had assured her Soares was rehabilitated from a previous offence of fraud for which she was sentenced in February 2001. However, In March 2003 Soares admitted to Ms Goodman that she had stolen a large sum of money. Her employer agreed for her to carry on working and pay the money back, said Ms Tyndale.

However, Ms Goodman fired her later that month when bank records showed she had continued her theft ? with the total coming to $24,668. It became apparent, said Ms Tyndale, that from June 2002 ? the month after she joined the company ? until March 2003 Soares tendered forged cheques drawn on her victim's personal and business accounts. She paid her rent on more than one occasion as well as her private telephone bills with the money.

The defendant, of Whaling Hill, Southampton, pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft, cheque forgery, uttering false cheques and obtaining credit by false pretences on February 12.

Detective Constable Paul Ridley, who investigated the matter, told the court the defendant had 86 previous convictions for fraud and dishonesty, with a further 111 fraud offences to be taken into consideration. She has been known by various surnames in the past including Burchall. Addressing the court in person, Ms Goodman said she is the owner of Reporting and Transcription Services, based in Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton. She explained she was reluctant to take Soares on when she initially got the request from the Co-Ed, having been told she had served a custodial sentence for similar matters, but "decided to give her the opportunity to get started again".

She said she now knew that Soares forged the first cheque within weeks of being given this second chance.

"She totally abused my trust," she said.

Ms Goodman added that her other business, The Bookcase, which sold children's books, ceased trading because of the swindle.

"I'm a 74-year-old woman who finds herself with limited resources and must continue to work," she said, adding that the stress meant her current business almost folded too and she had to seek treatment for depression. She told the court that Llewellyn Peniston, lawyer for Soares, had handed her a cheque making restitution for the amount in the charges but money was still owed for cheques and bills not before the court.

She added: "I hope she's decided to take responsibility for her actions and is able to receive treatment to overcome these tendencies".

Mr. Peniston said the offences occurred at a low ebb in his client's life and that she was contrite, and works for charities helping assisting the homeless and disabled. He added that she has medical conditions including high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes and was pleading for a final chance.

Addressing the court, grandmother-of-three Soares cried as she offered sincere apologies to Ms Goodman and her own family.

Mr. Justice Greaves said that during his career of more than 30 years he had seen many fraudsters but never met one who has been rehabilitated.

"The court is unable to accept that the defendant was at a low ebb at the period she committed these offences. Her employer had extended to her kindness, mercy and trust following her release from prison for like offences and it was only two months after that release that this defendant was again up to her old tricks," he added.

Telling Soares she had "one of the worst records of fraud I have ever seen," committed from 1977 onwards, Mr. Justice Greaves said she must be punished for the pain she inflicted on her elderly victim.