During shifts at the bottle-o, a thirsty Brendan Leddy would pinch himself an expensive bourbon or a pack of sweet apple ciders.
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A scotch here and a whiskey there - an internal investigation of the former Liquorland Warrawong worker exposed his brazen thefts - which cost the company $554.
He was fired on January 10 and was last week ordered by a Wollongong Local Court magistrate to pay the money back.
Leddy, 29, first struck on November 30 last year when he entered the store's office and put two bottles of Loch Lomond scotch in his back pack, worth $118.
On December 6 last year, CCTV captured him refunding a bottle of Jack Daniels Fire valued at $53. He placed the refunded cash under the register's keyboard and used it to buy a figurine off a customer later that afternoon, according to tendered court documents.
Five days later, Leddy scanned an empty box of Loch Lomond worth $59 and completed a refund on it. He removed the refunded money from the till and put it in a cupboard. Leddy later removed $50 from the till and used it to buy a four pack of Fizz seltzers.
At the end of his shift, Leddy also left the store with a bottle of Jack Daniels Fire and a carton of Strongbow apple cider, totalling $165.
On December 13, Leddy refunded four bottles of Captain Morgan spiced rum on December 13, worth $168, and removed the money from the till.
His thefts were reported to police on January 11 and Leddy admitted to his actions, saying "I was waiting to repay the money before stocktake but I didn't get the chance".
In court last Tuesday, he apologised for his behaviour and pleaded guilty to shoplifting, two counts of larceny and six counts of stealing property as a clerk or servant.
"It was stupid, immoral ... I was in a dark place. My drinking had gotten out of hand," Leddy said.
In sentencing, Magistrate Mark Douglass said Leddy had the benefit of not having a criminal record before his series of thefts, however pointed to the "massive burden" his actions had on other consumers.
"It's not just one offence, it's a course of offending that does traverse a number of weeks," the magistrate said.
"The offender had plenty of time to check what he was doing and stop."
Leddy was handed a 12-month community corrections order and was ordered to compensate his former employer.
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
