A 33-year-old man from Colchester has admitted to stealing £8,500 from a petrol station on the A12 to fund his drug habit.
Jordan Cousins used his employee number to return hundreds of items that had never been delivered to the site, asking for refunds to be sent to his own bank account, the Colchester Gazette reports.
The 241 offences took place between late 2025 and late 2024 and Cousins spent much of the money on drugs, Colchester Magistrates’ Court was told.
His thefts were uncovered due to the fact Cousins used his unique employee number when processing the transactions.
He admitted one count of theft by an employee, telling the court he was “very regretful” of and “genuinely sorry” for his actions.
Cousins received an eight month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to repay the £8,500 within three years.
Passing judgement, the Magistrate told Cousins: “You were a person of good character – you have now lost that good name.”
