A selfish school secretary stole thousands from children's lunch money and concert cash to buy drugs - but only has to repay £1.
Nia O'Sullivan, 39, plundered £25,000 from the school funds to pay for her £500-a-week cocaine habit.
A court heard she was trusted to pay the "day-to-day" financial running as administration assistant of her village school for six years.
She collected dinner money from pupils and parents, cash from ticket sales for concerts and paying bills including ordering stationery and pupils trips.
But O'Sullivan secretly developed a cocaine habit - and took £25,463.92 over a year from school funds to hand over to drug dealers.
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O’Sullivan’s barrister James Hartson said: “It all went up her nose”.
After she was arrested, police investigated her finances - and discovered she was now broke after giving all her money to cocaine dealers.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing took place in her absence at Swansea Crown Court where Mr James Hartson said: "In her police interview she admitted the majority of money stolen from her employer was used to support a cocaine habit.
"The money has entirely dissipated and she had no assets."
Judge Paul Thomas therefore ordered O'Sullivan to pay a nominal £1 fee.
O’Sullivan, whose own two children attended the school in her home village of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen school near Neath, South Wales, said she turned to cocaine after getting post natal depression.
She forged the signatures of the head and deputy of Ysgol Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen school to write cheques totalling £1,800 to herself.
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O’Sullivan, who moved cash between accounts to cover deficits, was caught after a year and sacked from her £1,000-a-month job.
Judge Geraint Walters told her the thefts represented a serious breach of trust after she admitted five charges of theft.
Jailing her for eight months, he said: "Schools depend on the honesty of employees. "There wasn't a shortage of money in your home and you have not paid back a penny.
"A message needs to go out and a lesson learned."
