Sons Ltd., yesterday pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to stealing $6,000 from store vaults.

Senior Magistrate Will Francis was told that while employed with Island Wide Security, Annette Stewart of St. George's was charged with the collection of cash boxes from A.S. Cooper's various departments. She also had access to the store's vault.

Police Prosecutor Sergeant Phil Taylor told the court on the evening of April 6, 1996, Stewart collected the day's cash as usual but once inside the vault hid $6,000 in her brassiere.

The next day she flew back to England where she converted the funds to Sterling and distributed it to various church charities. Shortly thereafter, feeling remorse for the thefts, she confessed the crime to her husband.

Mrs. Stewart voluntarily returned to Bermuda and on January 7 told her story to Police.

"This is bad enough when someone is an employee of a store and steals,'' replied Mr. Francis, "but working as a security guard -- whose job it is to stop others from stealing -- then stealing yourself is a very aggravating situation.'' Before passing sentence, however, Mr. Francis ordered psychiatric and social inquiry reports to be prepared on Stewart. He released her on $1,000 bail with surety and told her to return for sentencing on March 17.