Co-op worker was stealing divi stamps

Friday 06 September 2019

A former Co-op employee has been sentenced to 140 hours of Community Service for stealing £3 worth of dividend stamps from the till he was working at.

Steven Dean, 33, was working at the Co-op on Market Street in June, but was caught on CCTV removing stamps from the machine and putting them into the side of the till.

The alarm was raised when a week later, he cashed the stamps in at a different Co-op, even though he didn't have a share number, and his manager was made aware of what was happening. 

At a disciplinary hearing with his bosses, Dean admitted stealing some of the stamps, but later in police interviews he said he had only stolen a couple, and was gifted the others by his girlfriend and customers. 

He also told police that he was only stealing the stamps in small amounts, however many of the cards of stamps he had were not cut up, which the prosecution said suggested he had taken the entire card for himself. 

However they accepted a guilty plea on the grounds that he had stolen £3 worth. Dean had similar previous convictions, also involving theft. 

Since Dean was charged with the offences, Advocate David Domaille said the defendant had started to look for mental health support. Advocate Domaille also said how his client had acted on impulse, and did not attach the same value to the stamps as he did to money, which is why he felt okay to steal them.

In sentencing, Judge Graeme McKerrell described Dean as a "thoroughly dishonest person", who was lying to the police, the probation service, the court, and most importantly, himself. He added stealing from an employer would always be treated seriously.

Dean was given the 140 hour community service order in direct alternative to five months in prison. 

Pictured top: Dean was sentenced in the Magistrate's Court.