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Workers' sarnie barny nightmare
THREE peckish shop workers ended up with criminal records after helping themselves to "out-of-date" sandwiches from a nearby cafe after closing time.
Sarnie barmy Alex Bell, Emma Berry and Jeffrey Marchant were working a late shift at BrightHouse electrical store in Hartlepool's Middleton Grange Shopping Centre when they started to feel hungry.
Believing there was an agreement with nearby BB's cafe allowing them to scoff the out-of-date stock, they helped themselves to snacks from behind the counter of the open-air shop.
But they were stunned when they were arrested and charged with burglary.
Yesterday the trio were given conditional discharges and ordered to pay 8.66 each back for the food they had taken. They were also ordered to pay 90 each in costs after admitting their offences at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court.
Bell, Berry and Marchant, a school governor, were working while the shopping centre was closed when they took the food at around 6.30pm on November 4 last year.
The cafe has no shop front and its counter and seating area open on to the shopping centre floor.
Staff at BB's came to work the following morning to discover the snacks had been taken from the display unit and an investigation was launched.
Police were called in and studied CCTV footage that showed the three leaving BrightHouse, walking over to the cafe and taking the sandwiches.
Prosecuting Clare Donaldson told the court: "The three defendants were caught on CCTV in the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre at 6.30pm in the evening. They all work at BrightHouse store and were working a late shift. They were caught on CCTV leaving BrightHouse and going to BB Cafe."
The trio were seen to go over to a display where there were various items and food stuff.
Miss Donaldson added: "They were seen to collect various items from the display unit and behind the staff area. They had clearly gone to an area that members of the public are not permitted to enter."
After they were arrested, she said that in interview the three admitted taking the items – but claimed they had the "right to do so".
Mitigating, Dave Smith said: "While burglary is a big word and is not a pleasant word to read on somebody's record, this is about as bottom end as a burglary can be without falling off the bottom of the scale."
He said permission had not come from anyone at BB's cafe.
But colleagues at BrightHouse informed them that this was the way things happened, the sandwiches were out of date and they had permission to take them.
Mr Smith said: "All three were informed by colleagues at BrightHouse that this was the way things happened. The sandwiches were out of date and they had permission to take them.
"This permission was a bit suspect and perhaps they should not have gone and taken these sandwiches."
The total value of food taken was 26.
Mr Smith told magistrates Marchant, 39, of Limber Green, Middlesbrough, is a school governor, "a position that will be jeopardised by the guilty plea that he gives today".
The court heard that neither Bell, 35, of Oxford Road, Hartlepool, Berry, 18, of Kimberley Street, Hartlepool, nor Marchant have previous convictions.
The trio were given 12 month conditional discharges after pleading guilty to burglary as well as being ordered to pay compensation for the sandwiches and court costs.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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