Man who stole £46,000 from Morrisons forecourt gets suspended sentence
A Morrisons forecourt shop employee who stole £46,000-worth of cash, tobacco and alcohol has escaped going to jail.
According to the Isle of Wight County Press, David Haynes from Ryde, appeared before a judge at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Wednesday, June 21.
At a previous hearing in April, Haynes admitted theft from the Morrisons forecourt store in Newport between September 1, 2020, and October 11, 2021. The court heard that he had voided transactions and pocketed cash, as well as tobacco and spirits, while working there. He’d worked at the site for seven years and stole cash and items worth £46,000.
His crime was discovered following an investigation when the supermarket chain reviewed CCTV footage while looking for discrepancies. On multiple occasions, investigators saw Haynes place alcohol and tobacco into carrier bags and hand them to an associate without charging them for them.
The prosecutor said it was flagrant and repetitive theft and amounted to a breach of trust.
According to the County Press, the court heard Haynes had addiction issues and stole to feed his cocaine habit. Defending counsel said Haynes pleaded guilty on a full-facts basis and made substantial progress to address his offending. He said Haynes was no longer misusing drugs and alcohol or associating with his previous peer group.
Haynes was handed an 18-month prison term, suspended for two years, to include 35 rehabilitation days. He was not ordered to pay compensation.
