Long Stratton Subway manager stole to fund cocaine habit

Simon Riddleton was caught on CCTV letting himself into the Long Stratton outlet of the sandwich chain after hours when supposedly off sick. 

Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told he had stolen money from the cash float in the till and from the locked overnight safe.

The 30-year-old had taken up a management role just weeks before and was also entrusted with the store’s bank card despite still undergoing his training.

Simon Riddleton was sentenced at Norwich Magistrates' Court (Image: Newsquest)

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Josephine Jones, prosecuting, said the company had already called in auditors over suspicions that money was going missing from the outlet, which is located inside the town’s Co-Op supermarket. 

“Money that should have been banked by him as the manager was in fact far less than it should have been,” she added.

Riddleton, of School Street in Needham Market, pleaded guilty to theft between February 1 and 27 this year.

James Burrows, mitigating, said the thefts had been driven by his drug use.

“He freely admits he messed up spectacularly. He got this job then everything fell apart,” he said. “After being out of trouble for more than two decades he unfortunately became addicted to cocaine.”

Auditors were called in over missing money at Subway outlet in Long Stratton Co-Op (Image: Google)

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He has since got another job working for a betting shop chain and has managed to give up drug use, he added. 

He was sentenced to a 12 month community order that requires him to complete 200 hours unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation days. 

He was also ordered to pay Subway the full total in compensation.

Magistrates told him: “It’s a great shame that after a long period out of trouble you find yourself back here. This offence has seen you come very close to getting a custodial sentence because this was a serious breach of trust.”