Chef stole £1,190 from college

ACHEF who set up a scam involving duplicate receipts when he bought fish has admitted stealing more than £1,000 from his employers.

Ryan Paul Yates, 25, stole the cash while he worked at North Lancs Training Group Ltd, Grange Lane, Accrington.

Blackburn Magistrates Court heard that between September 1, 2015 and May 24, 2016 Yates, who pleaded guilty to theft, stole £1,190 from the petty cash of the apprentice training firm.

Prosecuting, Andy Rob- inson told the court that at the time of the theft the defendant was employed as a chef at the firm and that on occasions he would purchase fish and seafood from a fishmonger in Accrington.

Yates would pay with his own money and then be reimbursed from petty cash.

The defendant would request two duplicate receipts from the fishmonger, telling them he needed one for petty cash and one for his kitchen records.

Mr Robinson, said: “Yates then reimbursed himself double the amount he was owed from the firm’s cash float by filing both receipts.

“North Lancs Training received information about the theft and Yates was suspended and later arrested after the police were informed.”

Mr Robinson said the matter was originally dealt with by way of a conditional caution, with the agreement of all concerned.

The caution stipulated that Yates would repay the money stolen but subsequently no funds had been repaid despite the deadline being extended firstly to October 4, 2017 and then April 16, 2018.

Defending, Richard Prew said that by the case being returned to the court, his client, who had no previous convictions ‘had now lost his good character’.

He added that Yates, of St Ives Road, Blackburn, was ‘ashamed of his actions’.

He said that after the incident the defendant had lost his job and been thrown out by his parents but was now in a stable relationship and employed full time.

The bench imposed a 12-month community order with the requirement of ten rehabilitation days.

He must also complete 60 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay back the £1,190 to his former employers within six months.