Leanne Rungay, 28, from Basildon in Essex, took almost £95,000 while promoting herself on Instagram as ‘helping others look and feel great.’

A lifestyle coach who stole thousands of pounds from her bosses has walked free from court after she claimed to be a modern-day Robin Hood.

Leanne Rungay, 28, from Basildon in Essex, took almost £95,000 while promoting herself on Instagram as ‘helping others look and feel great.’

She avoided jail after insisting she did not keep the stolen cash for herself and gave most of it away to needy causes.

Rungay admitted theft by employee and was given a suspended sentence of one year and eight months.

The fitness guru worked as a payroll clerk for recruitment firm Spencer Ogden Energy and transferred £94,934.83 from the company account to her own savings.

She siphoned off the money when working in the billing assistance and payroll department in Fitzrovia, central London, between June 2014 and September 16 last year.

Dressed in a figure hugging black dress, she walked free from Southwark Crown Court today after she was ordered to pay back just £480.

Judge Cheryl Jones said: ‘She did not always use the money to benefit herself.

‘She might have looked at herself a a sort of Robin Hood type figure.’

The judge added: ‘I have taken into account your background and the real difficulties you have experienced in your life, which I will not mention in open court.

‘It was a breach of trust. Anyone who has access to bank details is given a high level of trust.

‘It must have caused the company economic harm at that point.’

Fitness guru Rungay avoided jail after insisting she did not keep the stolen cash for herself and gave most of it away to needy causes.

Eiran Reilly, defending, said that Rungay had given most of the money she had stolen to the poor.

The barrister claimed: ‘She helped a family save their house and tried to help others in society.'

Mr Reilly said Rungay wanted to get caught and left her job before she was found out.

He said: ‘She has shown remorse and stopped at her own volition.'

Rungay lost five stone and 13 per cent of her body fat before becoming a fitness trainer (pictured before and after)

Rungay, now a qualified personal trainer, runs free health and exercise classes for mothers and babies.

The court heard that at the time Rungay was living in a ‘flea infested’ two bedroom house with five other adults.

She said she was sleeping on a floor with her young daughter, but managed to lose five stone with her fitness and exercise programme.

Judge Jones said she would have sentenced Rungay to two and a half years in prison if she had not have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Rungay admitted theft by employee and was given a suspended sentence of one year and eight months at Southwark Crown Court

She said: ‘You were in a desperate situation at that time.

‘Much of the money was spent on others, I think to make yourself feel better, but that is to your credit.’

‘Because of your early guilty plea the sentence is one of one year and eight months suspended for a period of two years.

‘You are the sole carer for a child and there is no other adequate carer available.’

Judge Jones told Rungay if she offended again in that two years she should be ‘in no doubt at all’ that she would be sent to prison.

Judge Jones said she would have sentenced Rungay to two and a half years in prison if she had not have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity

Rungay was also given a curfew for four months between 9pm-7am and must undertake 250 hours unpaid work.

She was given a year to pay a ‘token’ amount of just £480 compensation to the company as Judge Jones said she understood Rungay could ‘not pay back anywhere near’ £95,000.

The judge said: ‘I hope this is the last time you will be seen here. I think that it will be.