Court bursts thief's bubble

Saturday 16 November 2019

A 21-year-old man will have to carry out 140 hours of community service, after stealing three rolls of bubble wrap and a Netflix gift card from his employer.

The thefts, which took place on two separate occasions, came to a total loss of £31.95.

Richard Le Prevost was working as a Supervisor at WHSmith in Town when he stole the items.

After a while, discrepancies were noted in the store's accounting and a Loss Prevention Officer was called in to investigate. They discovered Le Prevost had recorded the items on the till before issuing himself a monetary refund for the cost.

When he was questioned by Guernsey Police, the defendant admitted taking the products and said he had intended to keep them for personal use. He claimed he was short on money and was not thinking rationally.

Pictured: The defendant was sentenced in the island's Magistrate's Court.

On sentencing, Judge Gary Perry gave Le Prevost credit for his early admissions but said the incidents were a "serious breach of trust".

"You're very lucky today not to be going directly to prison," he said. "Things like Netflix are not essentials. You were not putting food on the table, it is a luxury.

"This probably will affect people's willingness to employ you."

Le Prevost has been given a community service order as a direct alternative to three months in prison, which he will have to serve if he does not complete the work.

He has also been ordered to pay £31.95 in compensation.