A WEST Devon woman could be facing jail after stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from her employers.

Della Barbour of Yelverton admitted an alleged theft of £392,300 from Elm Veterinary Surgery Group in Plymouth between January 2006 and December 2010 when she appeared before the city's crown court on Monday. Barbour, who was employed as practise manager, also admitted a second charge of false accounting on the computerised accounts system, but denied a third charge of falsifying the daily takings book — and that was accepted by the Crown.

Defence barrister Andrew Maitland said Barbour, 49, admitted stealing £220,000, but forensic accountants may have be to brought in to account for the remaining £170,000.

Accountants and police may have to go through till rolls going back around four years.

Plymouth Crown Court heard £390,000 had been 'salted away', and some of it had been spent whereas some was 'untraceable'.

A pre-sentence report has been ordered.

Mr Maitland said: 'There is a considerable background to this case.'

Judge Francis Gilbert QC said all options would be open to the sentencing judge including custody.

After the case Det Con Daniel Parkinson said: 'It certainly has had an impact on her colleagues and the business.

'It has had an emotional impact on people who have been working with her over a long period of time. They feel betrayed and let down.

'They regarded her as a friend and she worked at the same practise for many years, before she started committing the offences in 2006. They were close colleagues.

'It caused the practise to struggle financially. It is a long-established practise and there was the threat of redundancies.'

Barbour, of The Rectory, Yelverton, was bailed pending the next hearing on June 8.