£11k in scratch cards stolen by shop worker

A supermarket assistant manager stole more than £11,000 worth of lottery scratch cards but never hit the jackpot, a judge heard.

Tracy Whittaker took the cards from the Co-Op in Penkridge over a period of two years – but the most she ever cashed in was £100.

She also defrauded the store by exchanging money-off vouchers for cash, the court heard. Mr Paul Farrow, prosecuting, said the face value of the scratch cards was £11,597 although the total amount stolen was just under £15,000.

Whittaker cashed in any winning tickets at other outlets. It was not known how much she had "won" in total but most of the prizes were between £2 to £20. Her biggest single prize was £100.

The 32-year-old, of Rowley Grove, Stafford, who admitted charges of theft and false accounting was sentenced to six months jail suspended for two years, curfewed for two months and ordered to pay £1,000 compensation.

Judge John Maxwell told her: "This was a breach of trust – you were assistant manager at the Co-Op and you abused your position."

Mr Farrow said the discrepancies in the invoices from Camelot were discovered on February 3 and Whittaker was dismissed three weeks later.

When questioned she said she found it hard to believe that she had taken £11,000 worth of scratch cards.

Thefts had been going on for two of the three years she had worked as assistant manager at the store and had developed into a gambling habit. The money was used for day-to-day living expenses to top up her salary and help with a bank overdraft of £1,400.

Mr Mark Sheppard, defending, said Whittaker was one of two assistant managers at the store and had authority to activate the scratch cards.

"At the time the offences commenced she was experiencing very difficult personal circumstances. She had been involved in the lease of a pub with her partner. When the lease came to an end, her partner started to drink to excess."

The money she took was used to support his alcohol addiction, he added. She was now unemployed and was the sole carer for her partner.