A garage employee has appeared before magistrates for sentence after admitting stealing over £6,500 from the Victoria Filling Station, Milford Haven.

Sarah Hawkins, 34, began stealing cash from the business in February 2020. But as her personal debts continued to increase, her thefts continued until CCTV footage prompted her employer to begin investigations the following May.

This week Crown Prosecutor Dennis Davies informed Haverfordwest magistrates that Hawkins, a mother-of-three, had been employed at the garage as a supervisor for approximately five years prior to the offences taking place.

“Her job was to work at the counter and deal face-to-face with the customers,” he explained.

However on February 1, 2020, Hawkins began using the shop’s scratch cards to pocket cash from the till.

“She was using the cards, throwing them in the bin and taking the winnings from money that was in the till,” said Dennis Davies.

He went on to say that the defendant, of Oaklands, Mount Estate, Milford Haven, also began making void transactions, despite payments being made to the shop by its customers.

“The CCTV footage showed her taking the cash, opening the till as normal which looked as if a sale was going through, but then she’d void the transaction. And she knew exactly how to get the till balanced at the end of her shift.”

An extensive police investigation revealed that the total amount stolen by Hawkins over the four month period amounted to £6,515.65.

Probation officer Julie Norman told magistrates that the thefts began taking place as Hawkins’ personal debts began to escalate.

“The arrangement she had with her employer was that she could have petrol and goods from the garage on account, but that account escalated quite rapidly to over £1,600.

"As a result she started taking from her wages to pay for this, but this left her short and things spiralled out of control.”

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Sarah Hawkins was ordered to pay a total of £6,515 compensation to the garage.  She was also subjected to a 12 community order and must carry out 15 rehabiltiation requirement activity days.  She was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £95 surcharge.