[A] trusted former Asda store assistant from the Kingstown branch pleaded guilty last month to ‘theft by an employee’ by stealing 33-mobile telephones and iPods valued at £3,691.00 from her workplace.
The thefts took place between July 7 and September 28 of last year.
Fiona Bell, aged 31 of Church Square, Rigg, Gretna, appeared back at Carlisle Magistrates court for sentencing.
Bell worked as a general assistant at the store and “fully admitted the thefts” the court was told how she took the phones after gaining access to the area where the phones were stored.
Bell told police she used a bunch of keys which all staff used, “there was a key on the bunch giving access to the area where the phones were stored,” she then discarded the packaging and took the phones home, the court was told she “purposefully avoided security cameras while stealing the items,”
It was said in court Bell had “never been stopped for a spot check at the store,” the thefts came to light after a security officer from the Asda store was notified by a Phone and Music trading store on Scotch Street, how a female brought a number of phones in to sell, they became suspicious after Bell wearing the Asda uniform visited the shop repeatedly to sell the phones and iPods, investigations took place and she admitted the thefts straight away, and apologised in court, she had worked for the company for around 9-years, but immediately resigned.
The bench was told, she has paid the value of the phones back to Asda.
After magistrates read pre sentence reports Ms Bell was sentenced to a Community Order of 18-months and to undertake 300-hours of unpaid work, she has to pay court costs of £170.
