A SALES adviser who admitted stealing more than £8,000 from her employer was jailed for one year. In the Royal Court, Alexandria Denoual, 19, admitted nine counts of theft from Creasey’s, between May 2006 and April this year, amounting to £8,102.

Prosecuting advocate Chris Dunford told the court how Denoual had worked at the store since 2003. After commencing studies at Worcester University in 2006, she worked for the company during her term breaks where her role included till operation.

On 4 April this year, administration manager Margaret Rumens was preparing the daily accounts for the previous day’s takings when she noticed a refund transaction for £734 at the St Martin’s Marks & Spencer store – a Creasey’s franchise.

The transaction showed that 15 items of men’s clothing had been returned to what was primarily a food store.

It later became apparent that Denoual had entered various product numbers into the till for the garments and credited the money to her own bank accounts.

Denoual was monitored during her work that afternoon when she performed a similar transaction for £956.

She was called to a meeting with her employer and asked about the transactions. She admitted them and began to cry. Police were called and she was arrested.

Seven more offences of a similar nature were identified when the defendant’s bank records were examined.

Advocate Chris Green said his client’s parents had paid back the £6,412 to Creasey’s which the company had not already recovered. They had also apologised on their daughter’s behalf.

She had suffered from depression and low self-esteem and had a fragile mental state. She had also self-harmed.

Advocate Green accepted that an element of planning had been involved in the thefts but there was powerful personal mitigation in his client’s favour and she had cooperated throughout.

‘The method of offending was the same on each count of the indictment,’ he said.

‘It was relatively simple and not sophisticated.

‘The fact she committed some of the offences while other people were logged on to the tills was something she did not try to hide.’

What he said was an impressive number of character references were produced to the court on his client’s behalf, including one from former Grammar School head teacher Dennis Balls.

He produced written confirmation that Denoual would have to pay the money back to her parents.

Denoual addressed the court in person.

She said her actions had been inexcusable and she apologised to her former employer for the breach of trust.

‘I’m very ashamed.’

The court deliberated for almost an hour.

Deputy Bailiff Richard Collas said Denoual had had little alternative but to plead guilty when the transfers were recorded on her bank account but he gave her credit for her co-operation.

‘You achieved well at school and had the ability to go to university,’ he said. ‘But while you were there, your spending ran out of control because you tried to buy things you didn’t need.’

A total of nine offences had been committed over an extended period of 11 months and it was important that others were deterred, said Mr Collas.

The court had considered the option of a suspended custodial sentence but deemed it inappropriate.

Denoul was sentenced to 12 months’ youth detention on each of the nine counts, the terms to run concurrently. She will also be supervised on release.