Man stole bank’s £7k
THIEF ORDERED TO PAY BACK HALF – AT £5 A WEEK
A BRAZEN thief who pocketed £7,000 from bank after a staff member left it unattended to fix a cash machine will only have to pay half back - at just £5 a week.
Sneaky Darren Marsh stole a bag containing the money, which the worker had left on top of a customer deposit machine.
North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard the employee at Lloyds Bank, in Wallsend, had been trying to empty the machine when it became stuck and she left the cash behind while she went to investigate.
But she was seen by Marsh, who took his opportunity to strike and pocketed the bag before fleeing the scene.
CCTV was viewed and the theft was reported to the police, who quickly identified the 29-yearold.
However, on arrest, he had already blown the money on drugs and debts.
Now, Marsh, of Pembroke Gardens, Wallsend, has been ordered to pay back half of the cash at a rate of £5 a week, meaning it will take him 17 years to compensate the bank for half of what he stole.
He pleaded guilty to one count of theft and was also given a 12-month community order by magistrates.
Holly Common, prosecuting, said Marsh went into Lloyds Bank, on High Street East, Wallsend, at around 3pm on May 30 this year as a customer service advisor was emptying a customer deposit box.
Ms Common said: “She had processed one payment and the cash machine jammed.
“She already had money in an a blue bag and she left that on top of the till while she went to investigate the jam. She returned less than a minute later and the bag had been taken.”
The court heard the staff member informed the branch manager who looked at CCTV and contacted the police. Ms Common said an image of Marsh was circulated among officers and he was identified and arrested.
Mark Harrison, mitigating, said: “We’re not here to criticise the member of staff who left such a large amount volume of cash unattended – Mr Marsh had no idea what was in that bag or how much. When realising how much was in, he became everyone’s best friend and everyone took some from it.”
Mr Harrison said Marsh had a cocaine habit and had used the money to buy the drug and pay-off debts.
Magistrates also ordered that Marsh, who has 19 past convictions for 32 offences, complete a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement.