A COMPULSIVE gambler stole nearly £10,000 from the Bournemouth supermarket which paid him to run the self-service tills, a court heard.

Sainsbury’s Castlepoint checkout super-visor Darren Sharpe, 37, took £9,410 from 10 tills and frittered it away at a bookies one weekend last October, Bournemouth Crown Court was told.

The dad-of-two, of Bourton Gardens, then confessed to his crime before Sainsbury’s had noticed the sum was missing, prosecutor Simon Jones said.

A Gambling Anonymous member, Sharpe had gone into “gambling mode” at a time of stress, he said, using his key to steal cash while in a position of trust.

Tim Bradbury, mitigating, said Sharpe had been a hard working and valued employee, working his way up in three years from a catering assistant.

But gambling had been his “very destructive coping strategy” for depression and stress.

Handing Sharpe an eight month suspended sentence, Judge Samuel Wiggs said: “It is extremely sad to see you here today. But you do suffer from an addiction. There is no decent future for you unless you conquer this.”

Sharpe must also complete 200 hours of community service.