A housing officer at Watford Community Housing Trust stole tenants’ cash to pay for drugs for a former lover.

Yasmin Khan, 29, who admitted stealing £1,600 while working at the trust receiving rent payments, pleading guilty to six counts of fraud. She asked for 30 other offences to be taken into consideration.

Tamsin Wilcox, prosecuting said Khan was discovered in June when an irregularity was spotted in the books relating to a £415 payment made to the defendant by a tenant.

Khan, of Goldcroft, Hemel Hempstead, admitted during an internal investigation to taking the money for an ex-boyfriend, who had a drug problem.

Khan has a similar previous conviction going back to 1999, of theft by employee, when another boyfriend got her to steal £350 goods from B&Q while at university.

In mitigation Dacorum Magistrates Court heard the defendant, supported by her sisters, was a former heroin addict, who had suffered at the hands of men she had met.

Vinod Jumnoodoo, defending, said: “To put it in context my client has felt an awful lot of pressure from her father, a very controlling man and she got involved with a man that introduced her to drugs.

“She suffered domestic violence and has felt completely helpless and feels she could get an awful lot of help from taking part in a program offered by the courts.

Mr Jumnoodoo said Khan’s problems began when she was “asked” to marry her best friend’s brother so he could come to England from Pakistan to look after her friend’s family, and lost a lot of support because she did not want to.

She met a man at Birmingham University who gave her the impression they were a couple but before long asked her to steal for him and beat her on a regular basis.

Khan went to Plymouth to be with her sister and met another man who had just come out of prison and was a heroin user. She fell into the trap of taking heroin herself, but has carried out a program to rid get herself off the class A drug.

Mr Jumnoodoo said: “She did not take the money for herself. She has dealt with her drug addiction but the real hard work starts now.”

She had paid the money back, the court was told.

Khan, who was supported by her sisters in court, was tearful throughout proceedings.

Chairman of the bench Peter Palfrey said the court would go along with the recommendation in probation’s pre sentence report.

Khan must carry out 80 hours unpaid work and attend 31 sessions of a woman’s program, while under 18 months probation supervision.

Mr Palfrey said: “You have saved yourself a prison sentence basically by pleading guilty. This is the second time. It does justify a custodial sentence.”