The former manager of a coffee shop in Southport Town Centre has managed to avoid prison time after being caught stealing more than £10,000 from the franchise.
Shaun Cairns, 30, pocketed a total of £10,991 from Costa Coffee between September 24 and November 1 2022.
However the plot began to unravel after concerned cash collectors contacted the shop’s franchise owner who then discovered no money had been picked up from the shop for three weeks.
Brian O’Connor, defending, said: “He was in financial difficulties and made the stupid decision to borrow some money with the intention of paying it back, and it has escalated. He takes the money and places it in his personal bank account. There’s no way in the world he thought he would ever get away with the money.”
The magistrates sentenced Cairns to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 100 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay back the £10,991 he stole at a rate of £200 per month.
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