SpindriftA manager at a bakery who was caught by mystery shoppers after she stole £68,000 from the company has been jailed for 14 months.
Taylor Curl, 31, was initially caught when a string of discrepancies was discovered at Aulds in Glasgow’s St Enoch shopping centre.
Curl accumulated the cash over a 22-month period by voiding some or all of various purchases made by customers.
Senior management then sent mystery shoppers to the bakery where Curl was caught in the act.
Curl, of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a £68,000 embezzlement charge between March 5, 2018 and January 23, 2020.
Google MapsSheriff Joan Kerr told her at Friday’s sentencing: “Your employers had placed you in a position of trust as a manager.
“In particular, it was extremely important that they could trust you to handle money.
“It is obvious that the survival of the business relied on money being handled appropriately by those in a position of trust.
“You breached that trust placed upon you, and I heard over a two-year period you embezzled £68,0000 which is a considerable sum of money.
“In sentencing you I must punish you and demonstrate society’s disapproval of this conduct and I must deter others from acting in this way.”
The court previously heard that Curl was then employed by Aulds Bakery in January 2018 as a branch manager.
Two years later, a retail manager noted “discrepancies” in reports related to “voided transactions with substantial figures.”
The woman informed her husband, who was a managing director, who then told the financial director.
A further investigation was carried out.
Prosecutor Ryan Watson told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “As a result of all the information, they were satisfied that Curl was the person responsible for the voided transactions.
“A total of £68,000 of transactions were voided.”
The hearing was told that in the previous manager’s time at the bakery, only £1,000 of transactions had been voided.
A decision was taken by senior management to have mystery shoppers enter Aulds.
One of the bosses was selected as one of the participants as he had never met Curl.
He purchased several items, however, it was later discovered that the £1.75 he paid for shortbread had been voided.
Mr Watson said: “Another mystery shopper ordered three coffees, an empire biscuit and a sausage roll.
“[The retail manager] carried out a search and there was no record of the sale which was voided off.”
Curl was spoken to and asked to give an explanation, but she failed to admit to her conduct.
After receiving legal advice, Curl was sacked from her position.
Curl was then reported to the police.
It was stated that there has been no repayment by Curl to the company.
Liam Runciman, defending, told the court: “She is a first offender and has no outstanding matters.
“She fully appreciates the seriousness of this.
“She had accrued a drug debt prior to this offending which is the background.”
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