THERE seem to have been a rash of recent cases of staff stealing from employers but few got my teeth grinding more than that of barmaid Louise Brindle.
The 21 year-old repeatedly stole from the Oswaldtwistle bar where she worked to the tune of £3,000 before being caught on CCTV. Yet a court ordered her to pay back only £500 at just £5 a week. Her defence was that she was sorry and the offence might have negative repercussions on her future.
Her ex-boss has been left to find the missing money, no doubt delighted he enabled her to enjoy life must-haves like cannabis, a new Xbox console and hair extensions.
Very creditably, her mum has offered to pay back the money but that’s not what this is really about. This young woman is virtually getting away with theft, sending out the message to others that it’s fine to steal from your boss.
To some small firms, losing a couple of thousand pounds could be the difference between continuing trading or not. Surely it’s time the law reflected the severity of theft full-stop, and not made it low-priority?