A carer has escaped jail after admitting burgling the home of a child she was looking after.

Carley Allen of Hillside Road, Whyteleafe, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft after being arrested on April 15.

The 31-year old was caught after the family installed a camera in their home after becoming suspicious when various items in the house went missing.

A recording on April 13 showed Allen entering a bedroom which she did not have permission to enter. When the victim returned home, she discovered £30 cash missing from her room and called police.

When Allen was arrested at her home, officers also found a pair of grey snow boots which belonged to the victim.

In an interview with police she admitted to stealing the cash from the bedroom and said she had also stolen the boots from the porch.

Last week, Allen was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. She was also given a six month supervision order.

DC Grant Gable of Croydon CID said: "This was somebody that was trusted by the family to look after their disabled child.

"Allen has abused this trust and has stolen from the very people she was employed by to look after their son and she couldn't offer us any explanation why she took the money or the boots.

"The only small consolation for the victims is she pleaded guilty and they did not have to go through the added stress of a trial."