Man admits theft from pizza delivery job (From The Advertiser Series)

Man admits theft from pizza delivery job

2:20pm Thursday 7th February 2013 in News

A MAN has appeared in court charged with theft after he failed to return the takings he collected during a trial run for a job as a pizza delivery man.

Lewis James Thurgood, 31, of Clifton Road, Darlington, appeared at Darlington Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday, February 7) where he admitted a charge of theft by an employee.

The court heard that Thurgood’s girlfriend had secured a job delivering pizzas and it had been agreed that he would work with her as a trial in the hope of also securing work.

However, after struggling to find several addresses to make deliveries and receiving complaints about cold pizzas, Thurgood decided not to return to the shop and kept the money he had taken in payment.

Jonathan Bambro, prosecuting, said there was a discrepancy between the shop owner and Thurgood about the amount owed, but that a total of £45 had been settled on as there were no receipts.

Stephen Andrews, mitigating, said: “The defendant had found it very difficult to locate the addresses as they had not been given a sat nav. They did eventually deliver a couple of them although they were cold.

“They could not find the final address and did not want to return to the shop with the cold pizza given all the trouble they had earlier in the evening. He had intended to return the money but accepts that the money was in his pocket and he saw an opportunity.”

Magistrates gave Thurgood a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £45 compensation to the pizza shop owner. He must also pay court costs of £85 and a £15 victim surcharge.