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Mandeep Kaur’s despicable theft caused one of her employer’s branches to close and jobs to be lost. A court heard the 34-year-old started stealing money from the first outlet, the former Evening Telegraph store in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, and did the same from a branch of Supernews Erdington, Birmingham, which was owned by the same family-run company. 

The university graduate continued her theft for weeks until the financial director noticed cash was missing, which should have been banked and an investigation began.

Kaur’s lawyer claimed at Derby Crown Court that the woman carried out the offence under pressure from her then cocaine-using and gambling partner.

But she was jailed for 18 months after a judge said she “abused her position of trust”.

Kaur, though, has since split with her partner, Derbyshire Live says.

Sentencing Kaur yesterday, Recorder Charles Thomas said: “The act of stealing £104,000 from your employer and the impact that has had means the only appropriate punishment is immediate custody. Effectively you were trusted to bank the takings and instead of banking the money you kept it for yourself.

“What is clear is that they trusted you and you abused that position of trust.”

The court heard Kaur very quickly started stealing money after beginning her role at the Swadlincote shop in January 2019.

She did the same the next month at the Birmingham newsagent, prosecutor Richardo Childs said.

But the investigation, which began on February 25, 2019, found large sums of money had gone missing at both branches and Kaur was suspended, and arrested weeks later.

Mr Childs said: “In total £91,140 was missing from Swadlincote and £13,160 from Erdington.

“This was large amounts going missing very quickly including £8,000 on January 18; £10,000 on January 19 and £11,600 on February 11.

“In a meeting, she said she would personally drop the money off at the bank and when asked if she thought money had been taken, she said she did not think so.

“There was evidence of the purchase of motor vehicles – a Volkswagen Golf worth £26,990 on February 145; a second Golf worth £32,990 and a Mercedes worth £16,790.

“In (police) interview she admitted the offence saying she had kept the money instead of banking it.”

The court also heard how Kaur paid for taxis to get her to work and hotels to stay over in on an ad hoc basis to stay nearer to work and get away from her abusive partner.

The prosecutor read out a business impact statement made by the firm Kaur stole from.

In it, the financial director told how the Swadlincote shop had to be closed down with jobs lost which had “an emotional impact on them and their families”.

Kaur, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to theft by abuse of position.

The hearing was told how she has an exact same conviction which post dates these offences and took place when she took cash from another shop where she worked while under investigation for these ones.

Panama Begum, defending, said her client was from a strict Sikh upbringing and ran the family fish and chip shop following university when her father died.

She said that business failed when it was shut down following hygiene offences.

Miss Begum said the root of the thefts was due to Kaur being in an abusive relationship with a non-Sikh partner her mother did not approve of, who spent money on drugs and gambling.

She said: “There were a number of domestic incidents including one where she fell out of a moving vehicle, the police came out to see her but she was scared to make a statement.

“She is extremely ashamed of what she’s done and she cannot apologise enough for her actions and the effect that has had on the families that have been affected.”

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