A Belfast man who swindled Sainsbury’s out of more than £2,000 by a price reduction scam has avoided jail after paying back the full amount.
Christopher James Wylie instead received an eight-month suspended sentence for the campaign of deception at three different branches of the supermarket.
The 37-year-old, of Edenmore Drive, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of fraud by false representation, along with driving while disqualified.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard on Friday he targeted Sainsbury’s stores in the west of the city, Sprucefield and Bangor, Co Down on dates between October and November last year.
The offences involved dishonestly reducing the price of purchased items in a method used during the scanning process.
Sainsbury’s sustained total losses of £2,387.30 in the scams.
Wylie was arrested after being stopped by police while behind the wheel of a Suzuki Swift car on November 19.
“Further checks showed that he matched descriptions for a number of frauds at Sainsbury’s,” a prosecution lawyer said.
“He answered yes when asked if he was present in the (CCTV) footage.”
Defence counsel Luke Curran told the court Wylie came under financial pressure after a bout of ill health reduced his level of income.
“It affected his thinking and outlook, he made decisions which in hindsight he very much regrets,” the barrister said.
“He pleaded guilty at a very early stage and apologised to everybody concerned.”
It was confirmed Wylie has now paid back the total amount he defrauded from Sainsbury’s.
District Judge Steven Keown described that development as the determining factor in whether to send him to prison.
“For each of the fraud offences there will be eight months custody,” he ruled.
“(But) on the basis restitution has been paid in full I’m going to suspend that for two years.”
Wylie was also banned from driving for an 18-month period for the motoring offences.