Leeds Farmfoods shop assistant stole more than £7,000 worth of goods from Seacroft store during 'customer' shopping scam

Jason Logean was caught on CCTV cameras failing to scan items and undercharging 'customers' when they went through the tills.

Leeds Crown Court heard the 40-year-old defendant's deception came to light when concerns were raised that the store in Seacroft was losing around £2,500 a week

Jade Edwards, prosecuting, said a divisional manager went to the store and identified Logean as the culprit after viewing CCTV footage.

The defendant was involved in 43 suspicious transactions in which the same four customers with trolleys full of shopping would be served by Logean

Ms Edwards said the defendant would often only scan one or two low-value items before the goods were paid for.

On one occasion shopping worth £250 was bought for £2.

The prosecutor said it was difficult to place an exact value on the total value of goods stolen but it is thought to be just over £7,000.

"He was seen opening the till and processing shopping.

"These persons were timing their arrival to make sure they were served by the defendant."

The court heard Logean had spent a lot of time off work during 2020 as he was shielding during the pandemic due to his health condition.

Ms Edwards said the offending was "particularly heavy" on November 12 last year, the day before the country went back into lockdown.

A Farmfoods divisional manager provided a statement to the court describing how the offending was "extremely upsetting" as Logean had been a trusted member of staff for six years.

Logean, of Broom Crescent, Belle Isle, Leeds, pleaded guilty to theft.

Shila Whitehead, mitigating, said Logean pleaded guilty to the offence at an early stage and has no previous convictions.

She said: "He got together with a bad crowd and started drinking and gambling and got into debts.

"He had been borrowing money and that was the catalyst for the theft."

The barrister said Logean suffers from diabetes and is almost blind in one eye.

Judge Rodney Jameson QC gave Logean a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to do 160 hours of unpaid work and was told he must pay £425 court costs.