Willenhall supermarket worker handed suspended term

Kuldip Dhillow sold the goods without scanning them and kept the money over a nine-month period.

He was working at Morrisons in Willenhall and carried out the scam two or three times a shift, pocketing around £3,000 between February and October this year.

Customers would have been unaware of what was happening and Dhillow was told at Walsall Magistrates Court that his actions had crossed the custody threshold.

The 51 year-old, of Daffodil Road, Walsall, was handed a 12-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, after admitting two counts of theft by an employee at a previous hearing. The court heard his deception came to light after staff noticed a £70 discrepancy between till records and cigarette stock, which prompted an investigation.

Miss Rachael Smith, prosecuting, said checks revealed there had been a number of times the till had been opened but no items scanned or money put in.

Managers at the store in Middle Piece Way viewed CCTV footage and then set up a sting to catch Dhillow selling cigarettes to customers and keeping the cash they handed over. The test transaction used 'marked' notes to catch him in the act.

CCTV footage was reviewed afterwards and showed Dhillow putting cash in his pocket. He was later interviewed by managers at the supermarket and admitted what he had done.

Mr Chris Stapleton, defending, told magistrates ahead of sentencing that Dhillow was remorseful. "He is extremely ashamed of his behaviour."

Dr Malcom Taylor, chairman of the magistrates bench, said: "This occurred over a period of time and a substantial amount of money was removed." He was told to pay compensation, put on supervision and pay an £80 victim surcharge.