Bravery award manager Paul Crane is jailed
Jan 17 2009 The Journal
A SENIOR shopworker abused his position of trust by swindling his employer out of thousands of pounds to fund his drug habit.
Paul Crane was working as a section manager at the Marks & Spencer store in Gateshead MetroCentre when he began plundering cash by putting bogus transactions through the till.
The 31-year-old, who already had a conviction for credit card fraud, worked the scam for eight months before he was finally arrested in February last year.
Crane, who had joined the company in 2005, made no admissions when he was initially interviewed by police, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
But he later contacted officers and confessed – putting his dishonesty principally down to his £100-a- week drug habit, the court was told.
Crane, of Worsdell Drive, Gateshead, admitted five specimen counts of fraud involving a total sum of just over £19,000 between July 16, 2007, and February 3, 2008. He has one previous conviction from March 2003 when he received a community-based sentence for obtaining services by deception totalling £300.
He was jailed yesterday for 14 months by Judge Beatrice Bolton, who heard Crane had won three commendations for bravery when previously working in the South of England.
The judge said: “You were employed by Marks & Spencer. You are obviously a likeable man proficient at what you did and promoted to management level.
“But after your promotion, you stole just over £19,000 from your employer by a refund fraud.
“In my judgment, this is a case where albeit you can call on your previous bravery, it is still custody.”
Shaun Routledge, defending, handed in to the court three commendations for bravery – one a Queen’s commendation – which Crane was awarded during the course of his previous employment in Kent.
“It is clear from both what Crane told the police and in the pre-sentence report he is not seeking to blame anyone else for what he did,” he said.
“With the assistance of his partner, he has been able to stop taking drugs altogether. He has been drug free for fast approaching 12 months.
“It is clear that he is remorseful for what he did.”
