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27
Feb
Harrogate barman admits stealing from employer
A Harrogate barman who was “living out of his means” has admitted stealing from his employer.
Lochlan Wright-Simpson, 27, admitted the charge at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (February 26).
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court Wright-Simpson started working at Three’s A Crowd on Harrogate’s West Park in 2023.
During the course of his employment, the company noticed some financial discrepancies and voided transactions.
Staff subsequently reviewed CCTV footage, which revealed Wright-Simpson taking money from the till on numerous occasions.
It is believed Wright-Simpson stole a total of £4,212 from Three’s A Crowd over a six-month period, Ms Whiteley said, between December 1, 2023, and June 21, 2024.
The court heard Wright-Simpson admitted to stealing the money during a police interview but strongly disputed the amount.
“He told police he couldn’t remember how many times he did it but he didn’t believe it was that much”, Ms Whiteley added.
Wright-Simpson is of previous good character.
'His life is on hold'
Martin Townend, defending, told the court while Wright-Simpson was working at the gastropub, tips were divided from a “joint pool”.
However, the defendant, of Wetherby Road, thought the system was “a bit unfair” as he “got quite a lot of tips”.
Mr Townend added:
So, he started taking money out of the till.
In the police interview the figure mentioned was £2,000, but now two years later it has increased to £4,000 and that is disputed.
After being questioned by police, the defendant left his job at Three’s A Crowd, but claimed the company still owed him £1,700 in wages.
The court heard:
He went to ACAS about this… but ACAS will not take people on when there’s a criminal investigation ongoing.
Mr Townend said Wright-Simpson “holds his hands up” and had “just been stupid”, adding he has since struggled to get another job in the local hospitality industry.
He added:
He worked behind the bar… there was some trust but not a high level of trust like a manager or a director.
Mr Wright-Simpson has shown genuine remorse about what he has done… he can’t get another job because when he tries to, his bad name goes before him. His life is on hold.
"I do not see how they can come to that figure from what I have seen", Mr Townend told the court.
‘He put his needs before his employer and colleagues’
The case was temporarily stood down for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Andrew Watson, a probation officer, later said in an oral report Wright-Simpson’s thieving began on a “small scale” before he became “more lax” and allowed it to increase.
He told he the court:
I have not been able to determine a specific reason for the thefts, but it seems the defendant was living out of his means. That’s the only explanation I can provide.
He told the magistrates the defendant put his needs above his employer and his colleagues at the time, but now “regrets his actions and will learn from his”.
Wright-Simpson, who wore a purple jacket and black trousers in court, now lives within his means, Mr Watson added.
The defendant believes he could be on the neurodiverse spectrum, Mr Watson said, but added he does not have any mental or physical health problems, nor does he struggle with substance abuse.
Sentence
Passing sentence, the chair of the magistrates’ bench told Wright-Simpson:
You took money out of the shared pot that was supposed to be divided up between your colleagues.
Wright-Simpson was handed a 12-month community order, during which he must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
He was ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to Three’s A Crowd – as the amount stolen was disputed – but the chair of the magistrates’ bench told Wright-Simpson it was, nonetheless, “clear you were taking a considerable amount of money”.
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