A COUPLE has narrowly avoided prison for stealing nearly £42,000 from their employer while working at a family restaurant.

Lisa Pidgley and Matthew Pounds were handed a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for stealing money during transactions while they worked at The Sea Horse, a Harvester restaurant at Alder Road in Poole.

Prosecutor Nicholas Tucker told Bournemouth Crown Court the incidents occurred between November 2013 and July 2014 when their “disguised pilfering” was discovered after an internal investigation by their employer – Mitchells and Butlers.

Pidgley and Pounds – who are now parents to a two-year-old boy and a three-month-old girl at their home at Redhill Avenue in Bournemouth – had worked for the company as assistant manager and team leader, respectively, during the time of the thefts which would largely occur when their manager Jeremy Wilson was away.

The court was told that they would reverse customer payments claiming the money for themselves after a new till system was introduced.

Despite each admitting a charge of theft, both claimed that neither of them had been properly trained and the system was disorganised allowing for the abuse. Pounds also said that he stole far less than the figure claimed which could not be correctly identified by the investigators.

Yesterday’s hearing was also told that Pounds, 38, and Pidgley, 31, were heavily abusing cocaine at the time of the thefts. Pounds was also drinking up to 18 pints of alcohol a day. The court was also told that Pounds had abstained from drugs since the couple had been arrested and now limits the amount of drink he consumes.

Mitigating on behalf of Pounds was Robert Grey who said: “This couple who are a hard-working couple find themselves before the court together for stealing from their employer. They are very concerned about being here and what they have done.”

He said that Pounds, now a head chef for a pub in Dorchester, had shown genuine remorse and was of good character and that the couple were engaged to be married.

Mitigating for Pidgley was Tom Evans who said that the cocaine abuse was a “coping strategy” for the couple and the thefts were out of character.

Judge Brian Forster QC told the couple: “Following the discovery of these matters you both transformed your lives and you come before the court as different people. I have regard to the considerable efforts you have made since these offences were committed. You misused the system. No one knows the precise amount that could be up to £42,000.”

Pounds was ordered to do 180 hours’ unpaid work, Pidgley to do 100 and a victim surcharge of £100 each was imposed. An application relating to proceeds of the crime will be heard at a later date.