A group of Morden doctors are fuming after their practice managers ill health let her off a prison sentence for stealing thousands of pounds from their pension funds.

Carole Hiscoke, 47, worked at The Morden Hall Medical Centre, Morden Road, for 10 years but since taking over as manager three years ago siphoned off nearly £100,000 into her own bank account.

But rather than being jailed for the crime, Judge James Wadsworth QC gave the mother-of-two an 18-month suspended sentence at Southwark Crown Court last Friday.

Mrs Hiscoke, who pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting, was also ordered to pay £750 costs.

Her defence barrister, Mr James Scobie, painted a picture of an ill woman with a compulsion to shop, prompted by underlying problems including a chronic arthritic condition.

But speaking to the Guardian after the case, GPs Peter Rhind, Akhtar Amir, Robert Bettridge and Ravi Patel said they felt let down by the sentence. They added they had already replaced the cash for the pensions from their own pockets. Dr Patel said: "I feel extremely disgusted by the judgement and feel let down, to some extent, by the system."

"It was a very serious breach of trust. Admittedly she had disabilities we employed her knowing that but she was trusted."

Mrs Hiscoke should have been paying pension contributions for 21 members of the centres staff into the NHS Pension Scheme via the practices account at the Morden branch of HSBC.

But, instead, she paid some of the money into her own bank account to fund shopping sprees.

She will be selling her home in order to repay the cash to the practice.

November 14, 2001 13:30