A supermarket employee who stole £71,000 from his employer said he's willing to work two jobs to pay it back after he “frittered the money away” on a social media streaming website. 

Adebola Idowu, 25, worked as a personal assistant at Ades Limited which operates a popular African and Caribbean foods store in Woolwich.     

He carried out the calculated thefts by faking over 150 refunds during the course of nine months. 

A court heard that the business owners were shocked when they eventually realised that a trusted employee had been stealing from them. 

By the time his secret was uncovered, Idowu had spent most of the stolen money on a streaming website he had become “addicted” to. 

Idowu, of Manor Close in Bexley, was given a suspended sentence at Woolwich Crown Court after he admitted commiting fraud and acquiring criminal property.

Judge Christopher Kinch KC said: “You started working there in 2020 as a young graduate with promise and ability. You worked there for two years without any complaints whatsoever and I’ve no doubt that you performed your duty very well. 

“However, there came a time when you found there was a weakness in the way refunds were processed and for some reason that is entirely out of character and you exploited this.” 

Idowu said he had started with an experiment to see if he could process a refund from Ades Ltd’s sister company, Grills Ventures Ltd, and when he didn’t get caught he got “carried away”. 

Judge Kinch said: “The loses, as accepted by you, amounted to over £71,000 and to achieve that gain you have taken advantage of your trusted position as an employee, obtained pin codes, and diverted money from the business to yourself.” 

Prosecutor Jadesola Sodipo summarised a victim impact statement from the business owner. 

“He says he trusted the defendant but what the defendant has done has been irreprehensible,” Ms Sodipo said. 

“As a result of what has happened to the business it has been hard to pay their bills. They’ve struggled to pay VAT on time. However, when the defendant left the business they noticed an improvement in cash flow immediately.” 

The court heard that business has been on the up in recent months. 

Idowu was arrested at the store on June 23 and has been in custody since. 

Representing Idowu, barrister Ann-Marie Talbot said: “This is an educated young man and his family are utterly shocked as this was totally out of character for him.” 

Ms Talbot said: “It appears that the majority of the money that was criminally acquired was spent on what I was describe as an addiction to a social media streaming platform. It is the type of behaviour that no sensible person would have carried out.” 

Ms Talbot added: “Mr Idowu is very ashamed of his actions, having to explain to his family what has happened, what he has done and the impact that has had on others, but it is his intention to pay that money back even if he has to have two jobs.” 

Sentencing Idowu, Judge Kinch told him: “This wasn’t just a mistake, this was sustained criminal conduct and you have going to have to face life for the foreseeable future knowing that you have a criminal record.” 

However, he added: “I am impressed by your dedication and commitment to repaying this sum. It is not going to be easy.” 

He gave Idowu a two-year sentence suspended for two years. 

Idowu was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay £71,000 to the business owner.