Court Manager stole £12k from petrol station

APETROL station manager admitted stealing more than £12,000 from the business. Roshan Warnakulasuruya operated the Esso garage in Weston Road, Congresbury.

Bristol Crown Court heard that, after ending his contract, he helped himself to cash from sales to reclaim money he believed he was owed.

The 42-year-old, of Counsell Way in Stoke Gifford, pleaded guilty to theft.

The recorder Mr Gibney handed him a 16-week prison sentence suspended for two years, with 125 hours’ unpaid work.

He told Warnakulasuruya: “The right way was to give notice, step back and wait for commercial reconciliation.

“This was the wrong way to go about it. By your guilty plea you acknowledge it was wrong and it was criminal behaviour.”

Catherine Flint, prosecuting, told the court that between September 2017 and December 2018 Warnakulasuruya operated the Esso garage, owned by Rontec.

She said he paid them a £3,000 deposit and a sum of money for stock in the forecourt shop.

The court heard debit and credit card sales were via machines to Rontec, but cash sales were collected by a security firm and delivered to Rontec.

Miss Flint said after Warnakulasuruya’s contract ended he accepted only cash sales at the premises.

She told the court: “He was simply trying to get as much cash paid as possible.

“CCTV shows him emptying the safe and putting cash into a white bag.”

She said the total theft amounted to £12,192.48 and was recovered by Rontec via an insurance claim.

When Rontec became concerned about stock levels at the premises Warnakulasuruya told them he took the money to pay off debts.

Robert Morgan-Jones, defending, said his client had got himself into financial difficulties.

Mr Morgan-Jones told the court: “He didn’t understand the figures.

“He ended up deciding he had been treated badly. He believed that there were credit sums due to him three months after his contract ended.

“He took the money and paid friends and employees. He convinced himself what he was doing was a civil matter, not a commercial matter.

“He recognises that money was never his and he was never entitled to it. He realises what he did was theft.”

The court heard Warnakulasuruya now works as a delivery driver.

» POET, novelist and children’s author Helen Dunmore was born in Beverley, Yorkshire, but spent most of her adult life in Bristol. Many of her historical novels were set in Cornwall, but her last novel, Birdcage Walk (2017), was set in 18th century Bristol.

When we published our list of Legendary Bristolians, Helen was there.