THE former manager of a Workington plumbing and heating firm who admitted stealing £84,000 from the business must repay just over £9,000.

The repayment represents the assets Dale Hooper has available to seize - and it contrasts with the much larger figure which financial investigators say represents his financial benefit from his crime – said to be £358,648.

In February, Carlisle Crown Court heard that the 39-year-old defendant stole from CHP Supplies in Workington over two years.

During a Proceeds of Crime hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, no reason was given for why the benefit figure for Hooper's theft was higher than the amount he admitted stealing.

However, the defendant will remain liable to repay that sum should he ever acquire sufficient wealth to settle the debt.

There was a tragic background to this offending, the court heard, which included the death of his parents when he was a teenager, and an attempt on his own life when his dishonesty was exposed.

Hooper was employed by CHP Supplies for 18 years, working his way up to become branch manager. But on January 31 last year, a director received an anonymous phone call, revealing the theft.

The defendant, of John Street, Workington, committed the theft between September 2020 and February of last year.

He took cash for products without putting the sale through the system, or he took cash for items never supplied. At the time he was sentenced, the firm's total loss as a result of the theft was estimated to be £84,368.

In an impact statement, a director from the firm said what happened made it difficult to attract new workers.

Hooper’s defence barrister Marion Weir said he hoped to repay the money he stole and felt “deeply ashamed.”

The defendant’s background, she said, included the death of his mother when he was 13 and then, three years later, his father also died.

Hooper was given a two-year jail term, suspended for two years. The sentence included 200 hours of unpaid work and up to 15 rehabilitation activity days.

During the hearing, prosecutor Maxwell Cope said that financial investigators had confirmed that Hooper's available assets amounted to £9,189.

He must pay that sum to the court within three months, or he will be liable to a six month jail term in default, said Recorder Julian Shaw. The judge ordered compensation of the same amount - £9,189 - to be paid to CHP Supplies.

Hooper was present in court but did not speak. He was represented by defence barrister Marion Weir.