The Crown Court thief

Jan 26 2008 by Hilary Clixby and Chris Robinson, The Journal

A CROOKED security guard sparked a top-level inquiry by stealing a cash box from a court complex he was meant to be protecting.

Paul Robinson had a string of convictions for dishonesty going back to his youth when he was employed by Initial Security to work at Newcastle Crown Court on the Quayside.

The married father-of-four was given keys to all the court offices to check they were secure.

But he abused his position of trust by removing a cash box containing receipts from the canteen manager’s office, prosecutor Geoff Mason told the court yesterday.

Police were called when it was discovered the cash box was missing and Robinson’s fingerprints were found on the box when it was later recovered from a stationery cupboard elsewhere in the building.

Robinson, 44, of The Avenue, Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, claimed after his arrest that police checks had not been carried out on him when he applied for the job.

His barrister Paul Caulfield said: “He says there were no checks and given what transpired, I suggest there is credence in his claim.”

Robinson admitted the March 2006 theft and two unrelated burglaries at city newsagent One Stop News in Eldon Square in September and October last year. He stole £1,755 cash in one of the raids and £125 in the second, the court heard.

He has 19 offences on his record going back to the 1970s, 11 of them for dishonesty, including theft. In July 2006, he was given a 40-week suspended jail term with 100 hours’ unpaid work for cheque fraud while working as a security guard.

Judge David Hodson said Robinson’s employment had raised great concern when the cash box theft came to light. He said: “Here was someone with a previous record for offences of dishonesty working as a security guard in sensitive areas within a court complex. That was taken up at the very highest level and steps have been taken to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.

“The firm that employed him as a security guard is no longer responsible for security arrangements in these courts.

“The firm now responsible for security matters knows full well to make all the necessary Home Office checks before anyone is appointed as a security guard.”

The judge deferred sentence on Robinson for six months with conditions including keeping in regular employment, continuing to pay compensation and committing no further offences.

He said Robinson would be spared jail if he complied with the conditions, but face imprisonment if he did not.

He told him: “The deferred sentence is to give you a chance to demonstrate you can – as you did for that 15-year period – keep out of trouble.”

Mr Caulfield said Robinson, who had found new employment, had committed the offences out of “desperation” to repay debts and although he had previous convictions, had led a respectable life for 15 years until he lapsed back into offending in 2006.

Page 2: Thief quit week before law change requiring checks