A woman was this afternoon given the "very last chance" to reform after she pleaded guilty to stealing silverware and her parents' savings, totalling up to €50,000, from their house last month.

Sonia Bajada, 41, who has tested posiive for cocaine and heroin is not only a drug addict but also a kleptomaniac, her defence lawyer told Magistrate Carol Peralta.

She stole silverware from her parents' sitting room early in the morning on October 31 while they were still asleep. She also took gold from drawers and took a box where they kept cash.

The parents told investigators that they suspected their daughter was responsible for the theft, although she misguided the police by denying her involvement.

Despite this, Ronald and Maria Grazia Bajada told the court they were forgiving their daughter and were renouncing criminal action since they believed she needed all the help she could get.

Magistrate Peralta warned the accused that this was the very last chance she was being given.

He condemned her to 150 hours of community work and placed her under a three-year treatment order under the supervision of psychiatrist Joseph Spiteri. He also ordered that he be given a progress report every four months.