AN Asda worker today faces the prospect of being sent to prison after admitting stealing hundreds of pounds from a supermarket's tills.Magistrates in Ipswich heard that security officers at the Ipswich store where Emma Capon, 23, worked had begun monitoring her after her till was found to be short of cash.

AN Asda worker today faces the prospect of being sent to prison after admitting stealing hundreds of pounds from a supermarket's tills.

Magistrates in Ipswich heard that security officers at the Ipswich store where Emma Capon, 23, worked had begun monitoring her after her till was found to be short of cash.

Capon, of Matson Road, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing from her employers, although she disputed the amount of over £2,000 alleged by the prosecution.

South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that after her till float was found to be short on several occasions between January and April this year, guards watched her on security cameras as she worked on the tobacco till on April 29.

Naomi Turner, prosecuting, said they observed her remove cash from the till drawer and place it in her pocket. She then made her way to a toilet in the store.

Security guards approached her and took her to the supermarket's security room, where police were called and she was arrested on suspicion of theft.

When searched at Ipswich police station, she was found to have £210 cash in her purse and she admitted she had stolen on several other occasions previously.

Capon said she had started by taking £20 and when the loss did not seem to have been detected, she became more confident and moved on to take larger and larger sums.

According to the prosecution, the total amount missing from tills of which Capon was the registered user was around £2,000.

However in mitigation, Roger Thompson said Capon denied she had taken anything close to that amount, estimating the total to be closer to £300 or £400.

He said she had begun taking the money because she had debts of around £10,000 and because her partner had a cannabis habit.

He said the discrepancy in the amount taken could have been because it is common practice at the store to log into the tills using other employee's codes, so she may not have been the user at the time all of the money disappeared.

Magistrates ordered reports into sentencing options be carried out, but warned Capon she could face jail.

Dawn Girling, chairman of the magistrates, said: “We believe you committed these crimes intentionally, so all options remain open, including custody.”

An Asda spokesman said: “We're glad this matter has now been resolved. Theft of any kind is unacceptable and although it happens very rarely, we will always take it extremely seriously.”

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