A SEASCALE woman was caught stealing from the local DIY store where she worked after her bosses hired a mystery shopper to catch her out.

When 36-year-old Kirsty Brierley was suspended because money spent by the fake customer who visited the Pelleymounters hardware store was missing, she claimed she kept the £180 involved to check whether the notes were counterfeit.

The defendant, of Gosforth Road, Seascale, admitted stealing from her employer on July 12 last year. Prosecutor Tobias Collins outlined how the owners of the Seascale store adopted a DIY approach to investigating their suspicions about the defendant.

They suspected that money was disappearing from the till after noticing how takings went down when Brierley was working.

They thus began their own investigation.

“They arranged for a mystery shopper to attend the store to make a purchase,” said the barrister.

They provided the man with nine £20 notes, which he duly spent on a drill and other equipment. “He was not asked whether he wanted a receipt,” said Mr Collins.

Having recorded the serial numbers of the notes they gave to the shopper, they noted that none were in the till at the end of Brierley’s shift.

As a result of what happened, the owners suspended the defendant, telling her there would be an investigation.

But 45 minutes after she left the store, she returned and asked to speak to the owner. She presented a sealed envelope to her boss, in which there was a letter confirming that the shopper’s notes were genuine.

She claimed was why she took the notes - to take them to the Post Office so that they could be checked. The court heard that Brierley has no previous convictions.

Marion Weir, defending, told the court: “The bottom line is that this simply should not have happened.

She appreciates that it was a local, family run business and they trusted her. “She has lost her job and subsequent employment because of what was out-of-character and totally inappropriate behaviour.

She’s had 15 months to reflect on that.”

Though not providing details, the barrister said the offence came during what was a particularly emotional and challenging time for Brierley, though she did not offer that as an excuse.

It did, however, explain what had been a “serious lapse of judgement,” said Miss Weir.

Judge Michael Fanning said he had read that the defendant moved to the area hoping to settle but her offending meant she now had a reputation to live down. “And it’s of your making,” said the judge.

Citing Miss Weir's comment that her offence was a "drastic and serious lapse of judgement," the judge said: "It's worse than that because you are now branded a thief and you will have to live with that."

Judge Fanning continued: “All employers have to be able to trust those they employ and there is no other way for a business to operate. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an enormous corporation or a small shop.

“If you can’t trust your employees, businesses can’t operate.

"That’s why this sort of thing is serious; it’s a breach of trust.” He imposed a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work. The defendant will also have to pay prosecution costs and a surcharge.