Cinema barman stole from till to clear debts

A barman at a Norwich cinema was caught with his hands in the till as he tried to pay off debts.

Adam Bailey, 28, was working behind the bar at Cinema City in Norwich when he stole £332.85 in May and June last year.

Norwich Magistrates Court heard when customers paid in cash Bailey, who had debts and loans, was voiding the transaction and pocketing the cash at the end of the day.

The offences were caught on CCTV and Bailey, who lost his job after the thefts were discovered, made full admissions in interview.

Bailey, of Salisbury Road, Norwich, appeared before city magistrates on Friday (March 13) when he admitted an offence of theft by employee between May 9 2019 and June 26 2019.

Dave Foulkes, mitigating, said Bailey had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the theft and made full and frank admissions in interview.

He said the offences, which had taken a little while to get to court, were 'unsophisticated'.

Mr Foulkes said: 'What had led to that is he had been in a previous job. He suffered from depression then went onto sick leave.

'He lost his job which led to financial difficulty and he found himself struggling to pay loans and debts and against the background of some desperation dipped his hands in the till.'

But Mr Foulkes said it was a 'relatively low sum' that he got away with before he was found out.

The court heard he had since found employment as a manager in a pub and wanted to pay back the money he had taken.

Bailey, whose previous convictions include aggravated vehicle taking, was fined £420 for the theft offences.

He was also ordered to pay Cinema City £332.85 in compensation, costs of £85 and a £42 victim surcharge.