A trusted church treasurer stole £90,000 to fund her online gambling habit , then pretended to be ill to escape justice . Nicola Holding was described as a 'pillar of the community ' for her role at St Boniface 's church and pre-school in Plymouth , Devon . But she was secretly siphoning off money from church funds and spending it on herself , Plymouth Crown Court heard . Holding , 50 , pleaded guilty to fraud two years ago , but repeatedly failed to turn up to be sentenced , blaming a variety of serious illnesses . Jailed : Nicola Holding has been sentenced to prison for stealing from the church where she was treasurer . Yesterday she was finally sentenced to two and a half years in prison after arriving at court in a wheelchair wrapped in blankets . She whimpered during the hearing with her head slumped to the side , and at one point was given a sugary drink to help her diabetes . Kelly Scrivener , prosecuting , said that Holding had stolen £90,000 between 2008 and 2011 , forging documents to cover up the fraud , and had repaid just £24,000 . She said £7,700 was paid out to Gala Coral online gambling and £6,700 to Ikea , while Holding had also claimed expenses for her voluntary role helping out at the pre-school . In June 2011 , Holding went to Reverend Alison Shaw 'in hysterics ' saying she had 'got things in a muddle ' , the court heard . Judge Paul Darlow said : ” 'You plundered their accounts for your own benefit including gambling on internet sites. ” ' Victims : The congregation at St Boniface 's church in Plymouth were betrayed by the fraud , a court heard . He also said that Holding , a divorced mother of two , had falsely claimed to be housebound when she was caught on camera outside her home . Jo Martin , defending , said : “ 'Since the allegations her fall from grace has been huge and her life has even more spiralled out of control . Undoubtedly she has a number of medical issues. ” ' She said Holding would find prison life ' ‘ extraordinarily difficult ' ’ because of her ailments . Ms Shaw , who took in Holding when her marriage broke down , read a statement to the court about the impact of the defendant 's crimes . 'It was a huge sense of betrayal which has had a massive impact on the church and the church community , ' the vicar said . 'She was central to everything in the church . Young people put her on a pedestal and she preached to the adults . “ 'She was a very moral person who told them how to behave . Nicola was trusted implicitly. ” ' Holding was wheeled out of court to begin her sentence at a prison which can cater for her medical condition .
Nicola Holding was a 'pillar of the community ' for role at Plymouth church . But she stole £90,000 and spent it on web gambling and Ikea furniture . The court heard that Ms Holding had been in trouble with police before but never faced jail time because her parents were wealthy. Holding , 50 , has now been sentenced to 30 months in jail for fraud .