Woman hid stolen cash in underwear at Smethwick store
A woman who stole thousands of pounds by stuffing cash into her underwear at the Smethwick Asda store where she worked has been spared a jail term.
Sandwell Magistrates' Court heard how Lynda Freeman, aged 49, of Byfleet Close, Bilston, stole £5,666 over several months.
Kelly Crowe, prosecuting, told the court how Freeman, who worked at the store as a part-time cash clerk for around four years, had been sneaking money out of the cash office hidden in her bra.
She was eventually caught by security officers in November, when a spot search uncovered £120 concealed in her underwear.
The company had reported that over a period of around six months the store had experienced a loss of around £6,000, and Freeman admitted to stealing "a large amount of money", before immediately handing in her notice.
Freeman's house was searched and £700 was recovered, which she admitted was stolen.
Paul Selby, defending, told the court on Friday how Freeman had fallen onto hard times when her husband left her, leaving her with credit card debts and mortgage arrears.
Mr Selby said: "When her husband left her with all of those debts, she was not only under a great deal of pressure personally, but also a lot of pressure trying to keep the family together.
"She was still having to pay bills. She was in dire need and the first occasion she took any money was when she took around £100 to pay a gas bill.
"But then another bill, and then another came along, and before she knew it she was stuck in a very difficult position where she lost control about how much she was taking.
"It was at the outset always her intention to pay it back, but that simply became impossible and it was only a matter of time before she was caught out.
"You couldn't describe the offence as sophisticated, it was simply a case of her stuffing cash into her underwear and leaving the store, over a period of time."
Taking into account her guilty plea, magistrates sentenced Freeman to six weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, for one count of theft by employee.
She will also be supervised for 12 months, will have to attend a women's project, must pay compensation of £5,000, an £80 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
