A man accused of stealing money from a church vault was given six months imprisonment suspended for 12 months when he appeared in court recently.

The man, Michael Bailey, appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court to answer to a larceny as a servant charge.

The court heard that Bailey, who entered a guilty plea, is employed to the church as a part-time caretaker. He was reported to have stolen $7,000 from the church vault.

The accused, however, was said to have been caught on camera committing the offence.

The court was told that on several occasions the offering went missing and this discrepancy lead the pastor to have a hidden camera installed.

The money was recovered from the accused and returned to the church.

Resident Magistrate Georgianna Frazer said that because the accused man had a clean record with no previous convictions she gave him a suspended sentence.