FALLEN angel Rachel Simpson was this afternoon jailed for siphoning £127,000 from the York Christmas Angels fancy goods store.

The managing director of the family business, Alan Strauss, suffered physically and mentally from the worry of not being able to understand why the shop was apparently doing so badly, York Crown Court heard.

When he finally investigated it was discovered his trusted bookkeeper Rachel Maralyn Simpson, 28, was feeding huge sums of money from his company into her own account.

Prosecutor Alan Mitcheson, said she spent some of it on an £11,000 car, holiday, investments and other matters.

The court heard it is unlikely any of the money can be recovered.

Simpson cried continuously during the hearing and shook in the dock as Judge Michael Mettyear jailed her for 18 months.

He said they were very serious offences and "it is quite apparent that business suffered badly as a result of your activities".

At an earlier hearing York Crown Court heard that a large amount of the money was spent on scratch cards.

Today, Nicholas Frith, mitigating, said psychiatrists believed she had a personality disorder which had led to her offence.

Simpson, whose address was given at an earlier hearing as Chestnut Avenue, Hemingbrough, pleaded guilty to 11 offences of deception and asked for 35 more to be taken into consideration.

Mr Mitcheson said Simpson started work on March 1, 1998 at Christmas Angels, in Low Petergate, York, a shop specialising in fancy goods and presents.

"She quickly acquired a reputation and became a trusted and valued employee".

She was so trusted the managing director wrote out blank cheques for her to pay the company's bills.

But over a period of 18 months she used 46 of the cheques to pay money into her own account or to pay her own bills.

"The managing director found it difficult to understand why it was that despite apparently excellent trading, his company had persistent cash flow problems. He suffered physically and mentally in consequence of the worry because of these acts of dishonesty", said Mr Mitcheson.

Simpson readily admitted the offences and some money had been recovered.

For Simpson, Mr Frith said she had tried to kill herself with a paracetamol overdose the day after her first police interview and had been a patient at Bootham Park Hospital.

Her dishonesty had cost her her marriage and her relationship with her parents.

But since it was uncovered she had worked as a volunteer for an animal charity. She handed in a reference from her new employer.

Two psychiatrists strongly urged that therapy to deal with her personality disorder should continue.

PICTURE: Rachel Simpson, the former bookkeeper at the Christmas Angels store in Low Petergate, York, pictured in July, 1999