Brazen Cumbernauld Tesco manager made £27k selling products stolen from store online

A Tesco manager stole products from his store and made thousands of pounds selling them online.

Brazen James Shovlin used the in-store post office facility to send parcels of stolen items to buyers on a daily basis. The scam went on for almost four years, as crooked Shovlin netted £27,000.

Shovlin, 48, was jailed for 14 months at Airdrie Sheriff Court after admitting to stealing perfume, clothing, electrical goods, computer equipment and other items from the store in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, between January 2016 and November 2020.

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The court heard that Shovlin, of Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow, had worked at Tesco for 20 years and was a department manager before he was suspended after an internal probe.

In early 2020 senior management noticed a "significant" amount of stock at the store had gone missing. Employees were interviewed and bag searches took place at the start and end of shifts in an attempt to find the culprit.

Lauren Cole, prosecuting, said: "Some members of staff raised suspicions about Shovlin and it was decided to use CCTV to monitor him from the beginning to the end of his shift.

"He was seen to make numerous trips between the point of sale room and the training room.

"He was walking in an unnatural way, carrying items on two occasions and looking out of a window constantly to ensure the coast was clear.

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"On one occasion he stared at the security cameras while putting hats and gloves in a basket that he pushed under a trolley.

"Shovlin was also seen on CCTV in a back corridor where he had no reason to be. Management went there and found security tags that had been removed from products."

Shovlin was suspended in November 2020. It emerged that, under the user name Celticyoda, he had been selling items via Ebay, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Investigators were told Shovlin had boasted to a colleague that the best way to smuggle items out was via the instore post office.

Mrs Cole stated: "It emerged the accused had used the post office on a daily basis, bringing in two or three brown paper parcels at a time.

"He told the manager there that he was selling toys online."

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Tesco bosses eventually reported Shovlin to the police. A search warrant was issued for his home and stolen items were seized from various rooms and the loft.

Shovlin had used a Paypal account to process sales of the stolen property.

He was originally accused of stealing goods worth £45,000 but pleaded guilty to a charge that involved the reduced figure of £27,000.

His lawyer said that items Shovlin stole had been discontinued and were being sold to staff cheaply.

She claimed he developed an "addiction" for selling the goods, adding: "He is in a position to make restitution and I suggest the matter can be dealt with through a non-custodial sentence."

However, Sheriff Paul Haran told Shovlin: "This offending went on for a significant period and involved breach of positional trust.

"The sums involved are also significant and for these reasons no alternative to custody is appropriate."