Cardiff bike shop worker stole £2,600 worth of bikes and cash

A former bike shop worker has been handed a suspended prison sentence for stealing two road bikes and £820 in cash from The Bike Shed in Cardiff.

Wales Online reports that Olivia Davies, now 21, was a teenager at the time of the thefts.

She had been taken on as a Saturday worker at the age of 15 before being given a full-time contract in 2016.

She mostly worked in the firm’s quieter Tongwynlais branch and was often the only staff member there.

The branch closed in January 2018 and she moved the Pontcanna branch. However, missing stock was uncovered in an audit carried out before its closure.

Byron Broadstock, prosecuting, said that in April 2018, one of the owners also noticed that some cash was missing from a tin kept under a desk in the office upstairs.

Camera footage caught Davies walking into the office, picking up keys from the table and taking cash out of the box.

The video was shown to police and she was arrested. When officers searched her home, they found two road bikes in the attic.

Davies initially denied theft, but later pleaded guilty to three counts of theft by employee.

Bike Shed owner and director John Higgins said Davies had breached trust and caused distress and anger among her colleagues.

Jenny Yeo, defending, said Davies had been having family problems at home when the thefts took place.

“She was trying to make ends meet at a young age. She was embarrassed to ask for help. To say she is remorseful is an understatement.”

Davies offered £50 a month in compensation.

Judge Twomlow said, “It would take a very long time to pay off £2,600 at £50 a month,” and ordered her to pay £820 in compensation.

She was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.