A mum emptied out a coffee shop's till moments before emailing her boss to say she was resigning.
Nicole Meyler, 40, worked as a manager at Bean Coffee's Mather Avenue branch, based inside a police training academy, with her role including banking the takings weekly. She was so trusted that when the company’s operational director realised the takings had not been banked he thought it must be an admin error.
Yesterday, a court heard how after getting away with it once Nicole Meyler, of Gonville Road, Bootle, then continued repeating her dishonest behaviour to finance her cocaine habit for the next 72 weeks before an audit caught her out. She pleaded guilty to stealing £16,876 between May 2021 and November last year.
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Joanne Moore, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court an audit revealed that takings had not been banked for 73 weeks but suspicion did not fall on Meyler even when she appeared panicky when asked by the operational director, Adam Myers, for the banking slips she could not produce.
Later the same day, after clearing out the till, she emailed him resigning and said: “I’m truly sorry, particularly after you re-employed me after Covid.”
Miss Moore added Meyler explained she has a drug problem and said “I wish there was some way I could repay you".
In impact statements Mr Myers said they were “shocked and embarrassed” at having the money stolen and it could have been used to employ more staff or expand the business.
He said it had damaged their reputation and was “even more embarrassing because it occurred within a store in police premises and it could have damaged our working relationship with the police.”
When interviewed by police Meyler admitted the offence and explained she had “taken the money because of a bad drug problem and knew she was supposed to have banked the money.”
Nick Cockrell, defending, said Meyler has no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty. She had had an addiction to Class A drugs although has since put it behind her, apart from using cocaine at her 40th birthday, he said. Mr Cockrell added that Meyler lives with her two adult children and her mum, who has health problems.
The judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, said she had spent the money mainly on cocaine and is now ashamed.
Imposing an eight month jail sentence suspended for 12 months he said he took into account that she helps look after her sick mum and two references speak highly of her. He said he had obtained another job but was likely to lose that.
“You need to get a handle on your drug addiction or you will find yourself in further trouble,” the judge told her.
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