Swindling Swinton supermarket manager given suspended prison sentence

A SUPERMARKET manager who stole nearly £7,000 from his company by swindling online orders and selling them on eBay has been handed a suspended sentence.
Sheffield Crown CourtSheffield Crown Court
Sheffield Crown Court

Martin Copley (32), of Buckthorne Close, Swinton, said he had stolen a total of £6,951 over ten months due to “personal circumstances”.

The father-of-one, who was earning £32,000-a-year as manager of two Tesco stores at the time, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday (26) after admitting fraud by abuse of position at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and told to repay the money he stole in full.

Copley had worked for Tesco for 15 years.

Between September 2016 and June this year he managed two stores in Sheffield — on Abbeydale Road and Turners Lane, Broomhill.

Copley ordered nine electrical items including tablets and mobile phones via Tesco Direct Online to collect at his store and then requested a refund online.

But the manager, who has no previous convictions, never returned the items and instead went on to sell them on eBay.

The matter was investigated internally, but Copley resigned before being interviewed by his bosses who then reported it to police.

Copley admitted to the offences during his police interview on July 31 and said he had personal problems and needed the money.

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