A supermarket manager who had gambling debts of tens of thousands of pounds stole £4,000 in takings but lost the lot.
Neill Price, 51, who was deputy manager at the Lidl store on Aylsham Road in Norwich, took the cash which he was supposed to have placed in an overnight safe.
After failing to turn up for work he later contacted the budget supermarket chain’s area manager to confess he had “lost the lot”, Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told.
Emma Pocknell, prosecuting, said: “As part of his job as deputy manager he was entrusted with collecting cash and dropping it at the end of the shift into a security safe.”
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He had not gone in for his shift on May 10 last year and following attempts to contact the manager he had responded to an email asking why he was not in work with a confession that he had stolen thousands.
Price, of Marl Pit Lane in Norwich, had previously pleaded guilty to theft.
At a sentencing hearing, Ms Pocknell said it had been significantly aggravated by being a “breach of trust and responsibilities” from his management role.
David Foulkes, mitigating, said: “He is a man of previous good character who has done something extremely foolish, stealing money that he then gambled and lost.
“Not surprisingly he was subsequently dismissed so he lost his employment. But he was fully cooperative in admitting to his employers what he had done.”
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He had “considerable debts” with more than £40,0000 outstanding and issues surrounding gambling for which he had not been getting help and support, said Mr Foulkes.
The court was told he had since got a new job as a warehouse manager. His new employer attended court and provided a character reference.
Magistrates ordered him to complete 120 hours unpaid work and attend treatment to address his gambling issues as part of a 12 month community order.
They also imposed costs of £259 and £500 compensation after hearing that Lidl was only seeking compensation for the cost of investigating the theft.
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