A trusted accountant paid for two luxury Caribbean holidays and a new car after stealing more than a quarter of a million pounds from three different companies.

High Wycombe woman Lynne Pleaden landed job after job, handling firm's cheques and money, and was even on police bail for stealing from one firm when she got a new job and plundered another.

The 49-year-old, from Spring Close in Micklefield, forged colleagues' signatures and took advantage of being given access to the company chequebook at three firms that she worked for to fund a lavish lifestyle, buying new clothes, jewellery and shoes.

She fraudulently obtained almost £70,000 from a garden centre in Bourne End before swindling about £170,000 from a large firm in Chesham.

Pleaden even continued to steal from a third company after she had been arrested and interviewed by detectives over the frauds she committed.

Aylesbury Crown Court heard that Pleaden's deception began when she carried out unauthorised bank transfers while working as an accountant for Flowerland Garden Centre in Bourne End, and fraudulently obtained £38,208.21 in cheques and £32,527.23 in bank account credits from the firm.

She left the company in November 2012 and joined Silverson Machines Ltd in nearby Chesham, squirreling away £169,414.37 into the bank account of her husband, Bernard Trumpet.

Suspicions were later raised and the couple were arrested and interviewed by police.

However, Pleaden did not stop there and was on bail for those offences when she started work elsewhere in January 2014 and stole more funds.

Charles Judge, prosecuting, told the court that a total of £267,000 taken from all three companies was put through Trumpet's bank account, but the total was higher because she used some of it to directly pay Virgin Holidays for two fortnight-long Christmas and New Year breaks at an exclusive spa resort in Barbados.

Pleaden has eight sets of previous convictions for 36 offences dating from 1999, when she was jailed for 15 months for a charge of theft by employee.

She was back behind bars in 2003 for eight counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception and jailed yet again in 2008 for six charges of making false representations to make a financial gain.

Her husband, who walked away with a suspended sentence, has eight previous convictions for 18 offences, mainly for violence, but has been sentenced for making a false representation in order to obtain benefits.

Following the investigation Pleaden – whose barrister claimed there were underlying psychological reasons for her behaviour - was charged with six counts of fraud, which she admitted to in court yesterday (Monday).

Trumpet was charged with three counts of acquiring criminal property, after it was accepted he knew about his partner's fraudulent activity and where the money had come from.

Pleaden, who has already spent 12 months on remand following her arrest, was jailed for 42 months by Judge Karen Holt, while Trumpet had his four month sentence suspended for 18 months.

Speaking to Pleaden, Judge Holt said: “You are an extremely dishonest lady and have been for a number of years.

"It is quite obvious these companies suffered greatly from your actions. Just because they are companies, it doesn't mean people don't suffer.

"There is a loss of custom and an impact on consumer confidence. There are indirect financial losses, which are substantial."

Trumpet must also undertake 80 hours of unpaid work, while confiscation proceedings against the pair have begun.