A cleaner who stole thousands of pounds intended for Jewish charities has been fined £60 by a court.

Alina Teodorovici, 26, pleaded guilty to stealing £6,490 from her employer’s home in Golders Green. The theft took place while her employer, a rabbi, and his wife were out visiting their sick daughter in hospital. The money had been collected as a donation to two Jewish charities.

After she took the money, Teodorovici, of Hendon, moved house and changed her mobile phone number to escape detection.

She was tracked down by Jewish security group Shomrim North-West London. “She closed her Facebook page, changed her number, moved address and went incommunicado with her friends — so it was tough to find her,” said a Shomrim spokesperson. “We put up adverts looking for a cleaner and she grabbed the bait.”

Teodorovici was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court. She was ordered to pay a £60 fine and complete 150 hours of unpaid work.