jail for three and a half years yesterday.

Phyllis Burchall, 43, of Ocean Avenue, Warwick appeared before Justice Norma Wade-Miller in the Supreme Court after pleading guilty to more than $50,000 worth of fraudulent transactions.

Burchall was represented by defence attorney Victoria Pearman who said that Burchall would benefit from counselling, but there was nothing suitable in Bermuda.

Ms Pearman said that specialist programmes had been found abroad, and they had been contacted, but financing was the only limiting factor.

Ms Pearman said: "We have seen that Ms Burchall is a repeat offender, and according to the psychiatric report, we have some indications as to why. "Her last custodial sentence was for three years for an offence of a similar nature,'' and Ms Pearman asked the court to take into consideration the absence of treatment and asked that the court not impose a sentence greater than that previously received.

"Then what are we to do with her?'' asked Justice Norma Wade-Miller.

And she continued: "It seems that we are shelving the problem for a short while.'' Ms Pearman conceded that Burchall may well appear before the courts again, but said she had some success with rehabilitation programmes on offer at the Co-Ed facility, and that she intended to seek help for her stealing problem.

Burchall pleaded guilty to four counts of stealing, six counts of making false documents, five counts of uttering false documents, five counts of forging and false accounting, three counts of obtaining property by false pretences, and 25 further offences concerning false accounting were to be taken into consideration.

Prosecutor Juan Wolfe said that the total value of her fraudulent activities amounted to $58,486.03.

The Court heard that the offences had maximum sentences ranging from six months to seven years, but before sentencing, Ms Pearman offered several mitigating factors which she said should account for a discount of between a third and a quarter on Burchall's sentence.

An emotional Burchall addressed the court and said she was very sorry and was getting help for her problems.

Justice Wade Miller then sentenced her to three and a half years on most counts, to run concurrently, with time in custody to be taken into account.