Woman stole to help fund ex’s drug habit

A woman helped herself to hundreds of pounds from one of the Perth Starbucks outlets to help pay her former partner’s drug debt.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that Stacey Robinson had been caught on CCTV and had subsequently been sacked.

The 30-year-old was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work after she admitted embezzling £402.02 from the coffee shop at The Triangle, Dunkeld Road, on October 25, 2018.

The court heard that there had been discussions between the shop manager and the finance manager.

Till rolls were checked and it emerged that £402 had not been banked.

Video footage showed the accused in the office cashing up money from the till.

She was seen with one till deposit bag on the desk in front of her.

She then leaned forward and was seen to place something on her person.

When she leaned back the till deposit bag was “no longer on the table,” depute fiscal Bill Kermode explained.

“Shortly afterwards she lifted her handbag and placed it on her knee, appeared to take something out of her clothing and put it into the bag.”

She was called into the office on October 29 and when told about the company’s suspicions she stated: “That’s exactly what happened.”

Local lawyer Paul Ralph said Stacey Robinson was in “dire straits” at the time.

He added that the missing cash had been deducted from the final wage she had been due.

Robinson, of St Ninian’s Terrace, Dundee, was allowed 18 months to complete the community payback order.

Sheriff Gillian Wade told the accused it had been imposed instead of a prison sentence.