Morrisons manager jailed after stealing from Binley store

[dutchman]

A trusted supermarket manager abused his position to pay thousands of pounds worth of bogus refunds into his own account.



But Allan Shaw was caught out after another member of staff at a Morrisons store in Coventry realised a television said to have been returned was not there.

And at the crown court in Leamington, Shaw, aged 32, of Masefield Drive, Earl Shilton, near Hinckley, was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to theft.

Prosecutor Lal Amarasinghe said that Shaw had started working for Morrisons as a grocery assistant in 1999 and rose to become a deputy store manager in Leicester before transferring to the branch at Binley in Coventry.

But while at the Leicester store in April 2011 Shaw had started to make out bogus cash and credit card refunds and pocketing the cash or putting the refund through to his own card.

He continued to steal money from the company in that way after moving to the Binley store in November last year.

But towards the end of May this year another member of staff became suspicious because a television which had supposedly been returned, and for which a refund had been made, was not in the store room.

As a result an internal investigation was carried out which showed Shaw had made the refund – and on June 7 he handed in his resignation, although he maintained his innocence.

When the police were called in and he was arrested, Shaw continued to protest that customers had been handed refunds until he was shown a CCTV recording from the store.

Shaw, who was on £32,000 a year, then admitted what he had done, explaining that he had taken the money after becoming disillusioned with Morrisons because he felt he was being overlooked for promotion.

Ian Windridge, defending, said: “This is a man who had a position in a large organisation. It is the large organisation which is out of pocket rather than the customers, although clearly the organisation will pass losses on.

“Clearly we have a man who has got himself into a pattern of committing an offence.”

Mr Windridge said it began when a customer wanted to return an expensive electrical item because it was not working, and had arranged to bring it back.

Shaw had completed the paperwork and obtained the cash for the refund when the customer phoned to say he had got it working, so would not be returning it – and Shaw simply kept the money.

“Once he had got away with that, it was easy for him to repeat the process.”

But since resigning Shaw, who had stolen a total of £12,125 from the two stores, has set up in business as a furniture polisher, earning an average of £3,600 net a month.

“He has made a dreadful mistake, but he has resolved to make reparation,” added Mr Windridge, asking the judge to pass a suspended sentence.

But jailing Shaw, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told him: “You used your position to make false refunds, and you took your offending behaviour with you from the Leicester store to the Coventry one.

“There are aggravating features to this case including the fact that you were in a trusted management position.

“Companies big or small must be able to rely on their managers to be honest. This was not a one-off incident where temptation came your way; it went on for two years.

“This is not a case in which a suspended sentence is appropriate. The message must go out that if people in senior positions steal from their company over a period of time, they will go to prison.”

[dutchman]

Coventry store manager who stole from shop faces more time in prison

A disgraced Coventry supermarket manager who paid thousands of pounds worth of bogus refunds into his own account is facing more time in prison if it is not all paid back.

Allan Shaw had been caught out after another member of staff at the Morrisons store in Binley realised a television said to have been returned was not there.

Shaw, aged 32, was jailed for eight months at the Crown Court in Leamington in November after pleading guilty to theft.

But he is now facing another 12 months inside if a confiscation order of £12,125.48 under the Proceeds of Crime Act is not paid within six months.

Following a financial investigation, prosecutor Nigel Stelling told the court Shaw’s benefit from his dishonesty was a total of £12,125.48 – and he had available assets of £30,424 including his share in the equity of his home.

Judge Sylvia de Bertodano made the confiscation order, which will be used to compensate Morrisons, and gave Shaw six months to pay up.

During the original hearing it was said that Shaw, of Masefield Drive, Earl Shilton, had started working for Morrisons as a grocery assistant in 1999 and rose to become a deputy store manager in Leicester before transferring to Binley.

He had begun to make out bogus cash and credit card refunds, pocketing the proceeds, while in Leicester, and continued to steal after moving to the Binley store in 2012.

But in May last year a colleague became suspicious because a television which had supposedly been returned, and for which a refund had been made, was not in the store room. Police were called in after an internal investigation.

Shaw, who was on £32,000 a year, later admitted what he had done, saying he had felt ‘overlooked’ for promotion. Ian Windridge, defending, said: “He has made a dreadful mistake, but he has resolved to make reparation.”

Since resigning when his offences came to light, Shaw had set up in business as a furniture polisher, earning an average of £3,600 net a month.

Judge de Bertodano said: “There are aggravating features to this case including the fact that you were in a trusted management position. Companies big or small must be able to rely on their managers to be honest. This was not a one-off incident where temptation came your way.”