A former Yukon government home care worker who pleaded guilty to stealing money from her client was given a conditional discharge Friday afternoon and ordered to serve 18 months' probation.

Sandy Louise Forbes pleaded guilty last February to taking two $20-bills from the wallet belonging to senior citizen June Hannah.

Forbes committed the theft while she was cleaning Hannah's apartment and providing other home care services for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Evidence before the court indicates Hannah's son, Mike Hannah, had installed a hidden video camera in the area where the wallet was normally kept, because of concerns his mother had raised previously about missing money.

Inside the wallet were the two bills whose serial numbers had been recorded by the RCMP. They were recovered from the 41-year-old Forbes shortly after she left the apartment and was followed by Mike Hannah, who called for police assistance.

Forbes initially denied the accusation when she was confronted by Hannah and the RCMP officer who'd followed her to a location on the Grey Mountain Road. Once told of the video recordings, Forbes surrendered the money.

In his comments, the judge noted there was an indication on the psychological report by psychologist Bill Stewart that Forbes' actions may be linked to a troubled childhood and an abusive first marriage that has left her battling depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Defence lawyer Ed Horembala argued for a sentence that would avoid a criminal record for his client.

But Crown prosecutor David McWhinnie described the offence as much more serious than the $40 involved.

It was a clear case of a breach of trust, and a case of taking advantage of a senior citizen, McWhinnie said in his request for a period in jail to emphasize intolerance to this type of crime.

The elderly, he said, are some of society's most vulnerable citizens.

Forbes' theft caused the victim to become distrustful of the home care system, to the point where she rejected the service for a period of time, though she has since had it reinstated, the court was told.

'So while the $40 may not be a large amount of money, it does carry with it a great deal of weight in this particular case, not just two $20-bills,' McWhinnie said.

Horembala, on the other hand, described his client as a hard-working single mother of two teenagers with no previous criminal record who has already paid more than enough for her crime

She has lost her job and has been humiliated publicly, he told Lilles.

He suggested that handing down a sentence that involved a criminal record would thwart her attempts to regain a hold in the workforce, which does nothing to further the interest of society.

Forbes, said Horembala, has shown remorse, pleaded guilty very early after being charged and has expressed her regret both to the victim and the court.

She is a woman who began work in the home care field in 1989.

She subsequently earned a college diploma in the field before starting full-time work with the government in 1997, he pointed out.

In addition to hearing Forbes apologize in court, Lilles also heard from the woman who informally adopted Forbes and from a home care client of three years. Both described her as hard-working and trustworthy.

Conditions of her 18-month probation order include 30 hours of community service, a curfew of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the first 30 days of her sentence, and to take whatever counselling is recommended by her probation officer.

McWhinnie told the court the concerns that prompted the installation of the video camera remain unresolved.

The judge said while those outstanding matters may be of concern to him, he is only permitted to consider evidence that is admitted or proven beyond a reasonable doubt.