Worker stole £90,000 from Boundary Mill

A till manager has been jailed for stealing £90,000 from the Black Country department store where she worked.

Mother-of-10 Lesley Edwards illegally refunded cash on to her credit card for items bought by customers at Boundary Mill Stores in Walsall.

The 52-year-old from Wolverhampton Road, Birchills, who was involved in charity fundraising at the store near Junction 10 of the M6, was jailed for 15 months after admitting fraud at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.

Mr Hugh O'Brien Quinn, prosecuting, said Edwards stole the money between 2008 and 2010, and was able to do so through the tills with other members of staff's identification numbers.

He said: "She would claim refunds and have them transferred on to her credit card. She had access to the tills and she would put in refunds, although no items were ever returned."

He said the system meant she could not use her identification numbers and used those of other staff, but CCTV showed she was alone at the tills when the refunds were made, or the identification numbers belonged to staff who were on holiday or in another area of the store at the time.

As a result, no other member of staff was ever under suspicion of the offences.

Edwards was rumbled when a customer brought back an item which she had already refunded to herself.

Mr Christopher Loach, defending, said Edwards had spent the cash on her family, after her eldest daughter came to her under threat of eviction from her home. He said: "There are no luxury items or goods that came out of this criminality for her."

Twice-married Edwards now lives alone and was said to be "isolated" despite being in contact with her family. Mr

Loach said after losing her job she had found employment at a supermarket and had paid back £100 of the money she took.

Judge Nicholas Webb told her: "From a position of trust, you stole £90,000."

She said "thank you" to the judge as she was led away.