Shropshire assistant manager stole £8,000 to give himself a pay rise
An assistant manager at a Shropshire builders’ merchants stole more than £8,000 from his employer - because he felt he was not being paid what he deserved.
Daren James Evans, 24, helped himself to a total of £8,028 in cash from the till and from false refunds when he was the assistant branch manager at Travis Perkins, in Upper Bar, Newport.
Evans, of Castlefields, Shrewsbury, spent the extra cash of about £700 a month on general living expenses.
Representing himself, Evans said: “I was doing a job for less than the role I was given. I was working as an assistant manager and a branch manager.
“I obviously stole from the company which was wrong and stupid of me. I’m very sorry.”
Evans has since repaid the missing money in full.
He was caught after financial discrepancies were picked up at the branch and a surveillance operation was mounted to catch the culprit.
Mr Jamie Scott, prosecuting, said: “In March there were obvious cash shortages identified by the branch. The matter was investigated internally and in summary showed clear shortfalls in daily takings over a number of months.
Printing
“When compared, attendance records showed a clear correlation between Evans’ presence at the store and the instances when there were discrepancies. The company’s investigators visited the branch, checks were made of the financial records and a covert camera installed at the till in March 2018.”
The court heard that a refund ticket was raised for a customer for a manhole cover, but when the footage was checked Evans was filmed printing two tickets then taking cash from the till. When the store contacted the customer they denied returning the item for a refund. Evans had pocketed the cash and falsified the customer’s signature.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by employee in 2018 at an earlier hearing.
Sentencing him at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Monday, Judge Anthony Lowe said: “I’m not sure what your motivation was. You cannot simply help yourself to your employer’s money because you think you should be paid more.
“You are 24 and never been in trouble before and for those reasons I’m prepared to give you another chance. I hope that this is the last any court sees of you.”
Evans was jailed for 12 months, suspended for 18 months. He must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work within 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £340 costs by the end of this month and pay a victims’ surcharge.
