A THIEVING shop assistant was caught with her fingers in the till when the manager spotted scratchcard shavings on the wrong side of the counter of a Dalton shop.

Sandra Helyer, 44, tore lotto cards off “like toilet roll” and helped herself to the winnings, while she worked alone in her best friend’s shop.

The mum-of-six was caught out when Amy Steele spotted piles of silver shavings behind the counter and realised a member of staff must have been scratching the cards.

Helyer, of Dalton, later confessed to stealing £6,000 from her employer and friend Nicola Van Beek. Preston Crown Court heard Helyer worked at the Open All Hours shop in Dalton for around 18 months, after asking Nicola for a job to help with her household finances.

Over time, Nicola noticed her takings were down and she was struggling to pay her own wages. She installed a new till, to cut down on mistakes, but when her cleaner noticed the piles of silver shavings, she installed CCTV to see what was going on.

Speaking after Helyer was handed a suspended sentence at Preston Crown Court, Nicola said: “I honestly thought she was just a bit thick. She made lots of mistakes.

“I would have honest customers coming in telling me they had been given too much change. “I bought a new till to cut down on mistakes, but she carried on stealing.”

In August last year, Nicola wrote to her employees asking for suggestions to boost sales as she feared the business was struggling. She mentioned it again at a Christmas dinner, which she had treated her staff to, despite her struggles.

She said: “She sat there, eating a meal I’d paid for, hearing me talking about how hard it was, and still carried on stealing from me.” Eventually Nicola installed CCTV and was horrified by what she saw.

Over the weekend of February 16 - 17 she saw Helyer running fake transactions through the till and taking lottery scratchcards, over two shifts. On Saturday night, Helyer filled two shopping bags up with the makings of a Sunday roast and left the shop without paying for them.

Nicola says: “She was skipping round the shop, singing little songs to herself, happy as Larry.

“Things got so bad I had to stop paying myself. I thought I’d have to sell the business. I had to cancel my daughter’s riding lessons and my plans to get married were on hold.

“I genuinely thought she was making mistakes and I let it go because she was my friend’s mum.”

Helyer was arrested at her home the following week and was found to have scratchcards bearing the serial numbers which matched those in Open All Hours in her coat pockets. She pleaded guilty to theft of £6,000 from her employer and appeared at Preston Crown Court to be sentenced.

Recorder John Ainsworth, sentencing, said: “The total loss was £6,000. That is a lot of money in anyone’s books but it is an awful lot from the books of a small business. “You will appreciate it has had an impact on her. “The sympathy of this court is entirely with Mrs Van Beek.”

He handed Helyer a 12 month sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered her to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work. Helyer was also ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to her former employer.

Following the sentencing, representatives from Open All Hours said they intended to pursue Helyer through the civil courts for the remainder of the money she stole.


Open All Hours in Ulverston Road, Dalton.