Service station thief is not a Robin Hood, says ex-boss

The boss of a service station in Shropshire which nearly went under after a man he employed to run it stole thousands by fiddling the company books today insisted: 'He is no Robin Hood'.

John Corbo, who owns Ford Service Station near Shrewsbury, said Colin Biffen was a 'disgrace' who had brought nothing but pain and anguish to him and his staff.

Biffen was compared to the storybook hero by Recorder Patrick Thompson when he was spared jail despite pleading guilty to false accounting.

The 50-year-old, of Columbine Way, Donnington, Telford, was said to have taken nearly £5,000 in cash some of which he is understood to have pocketed himself. He claims money was used to pay staff what he felt they were owed in unpaid overtime.

Biffen was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay Mr Corbo the money back in compensation.

Mr Corbo said: "He is no modern-day Robin Hood, he is a disgrace.

"I have accounts and statements from staff that show and prove he only paid £3,000 to staff. The rest he pocketed himself. It was a smokescreen to get people on his side so he could cover up what he was doing.

"I gave him a job, I trusted him. He repaid me by nearly sending my business under. We had to lay people off and went through 12 months of pain and anguish getting things back to normal."

Mr Corbo said he was astonished Biffen had not been sent to prison and said the offer of compensation was 'derisory'.

He said: "I want to make sure that future employers are warned what this man is capable of."