Two former Asda employees swindled over £4100 worth of goods and cash from the Alloa superstore.

The pair concocted a scheme in which packed trolleys would be falsely scanned to total sums as low as 50 PENCE when the goods in them were potentially worth three-figure amounts.

On Monday (11 August) at the town’s Sheriff Court, John Flanigan (67) and Christine Hercus (41) pleaded guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain items and money by falsely recording or failing to record transactions at checkouts.

They admitted acting together and with others between 30 October 2012 and 23 November 2012.

As checkout assistants they failed to scan goods presented for purchase and thereafter allowed those goods to be removed from the store without being paid for.

As a customer they presented a quantity of goods for purchase and paid for a lower value and number, and thereafter removed said items from the store.

Flanigan, of Clackmannan’s Devonway, additionally admitted obtaining a refund for goods previously acquired by fraud.

As reported in the Advertiser previously, Mary Tanner (41), of Alloa’s Henderson Avenue, and Anne Sharp (63), of Alloa’s Maple Court, were also accused of being part of the fraudulent scheme.

The quartet were due to stand on Wednesday 13 August, however Ms Tanner and Ms Sharp’s pleas of not guilty were accepted by the Crown.

Thereafter Flanigan confessed to swindling £3000 worth of goods while Hercus, of Alloa’s Bowhouse Gardens, admitted fleecing £1184.22.

Fiscal depute Susannah Hutchison told the court that on 23 November 2012 the investigations manager at the Alloa store received an anonymous call reporting that items were being taken from the supermarket without being paid for and that members of staff working at the tills were skip-scanning by passing goods above the scanner. Flanigan and Hercus were identified as the employees involved.

An initial investigation unearthed that Flanigan and Hercus had used their debit cards at each other’s till on various occasions.

CCTV footage was checked and Flanigan was recorded serving Hercus on 30 October 2012 and seen to pass an electrical item over the scanner. Hercus left the store with a trolley full of goods, but paid only £2.85.

Flanigan served Hercus a number of times throughout November 2012 and on each occasion was caught skip-scanning. Hercus left the store with trolley after trolley packed with items, but only ever paid 50p, 98p, £1, £14.65 and £45.44.

Flanigan was also recorded bypassing the scanner for unknown members of the public. During November 2012 various shoppers left Asda with trolleys full of goods, but only handed over £1, £1.28, £2.68, £3.04, £7.09 and £7.79. During one transaction Flanigan charged 50p for a quantity of alcohol - which included spirits and a box of beer - and allowed a customer to walk out with two bags of goods for only £1.86.

On 13 November 2012 Hercus was recorded serving Flanigan. He was seen to have a number of items of clothing and bags at his feet, but only paid £23.76.

Flanigan was also reported to have returned goods to the store in November 2012 and had £88 refunded onto his card.

The duo were detained by police in February 2013 and initially denied any wrongdoing.

Flanigan told officers that if he had skip-scanned items it was through human error and he was being framed along with Hercus.

Hercus claimed any mistake was unintentional. When she was questioned as to why one of her bills was only £2.85 despite buying an electrical item, she couldn’t explain it and instead insisted she hadn’t noticed because it was late and she’d just finished a five-hour shift.

She also couldn’t answer as to why she only paid 98p for a trolley full of goods and suggested she could have miss-scanned when undercharging Flanigan £23.76 for various items despite one jumper costing £25 alone.

Sheriff David Mackie adjourned sentencing until 11 September for the completion of criminal justice social work reports with the possibility of a Community Payback Order with supervision and unpaid work.