A thief who organised a charity event to raise funds for cancer care then stole the donated money to pay her rent.

Evelyn Seymour, 19, was asked to arrange a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support while working at the Kingfisher pub in Poynton, a court heard.

Her work to help those in need was even praised in a free publication put together by the pub's owners Wetherspoons.

But after kind-hearted punters donated £200 to help families cope with the effects of the killer disease, instead of sending the cash to the charity Seymour used it to pay her landlord, magistrates were told.

Seymour admitted theft from employee by stealing the cash raised from the charity event at a hearing at Macclesfield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (February 25).

Kate Marchuk, prosecuting, told the hearing: “Ms Seymour was employed by the Kingfisher public house in Poynton when she was asked to organise a charity coffee morning in aid of McMillan Cancer Relief. The event raised £200.

“A paying in slip was provided and Ms Seymour was given the money to take to the bank, which the supervisor assumed she had done.

“A few months later the supervisor contacted the charity to obtain more collection boxes and was told no money had been deposited.”

After a staff member called Seymour, who had left her job at the pub at that point, she came clean, admitting that she has used the money to pay her rent after being unable to do so herself.

Ms Marchuk added: “None of the money has ever being paid back.”

Yet Whalid Khaleed, defending Seymour, told the court that desperation had driven his client to steal the cash.

He said: “She concedes she made a mistake. Her father left her and her mother when she was aged nine, she hasn’t seen him for 10 years.

“She is only 19. When she was working at the Kingfisher she never received a complaint against her and she was well liked by the management.

“My client was the one who volunteered and said that money should be raised. She put hours in trying to organise the event.

“She didn’t use the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, her landlord was about to evict her - she had a sword hanging over her neck. She used the money and now she is paying the price.”

Seymour, of Turnbury Road, Wythenshawe, was ordered to carry out 60 hours unpaid work by magistrates, told she must pay the £200 back and £85 costs to the court.