A man scammed Primark out of almost £200 in refunds for clothes he actually damaged himself in the changing rooms.
Kirk Meah targeted the retailer on five occasions in two weeks, "returning" shirts, suits and a jacket. But after trying his luck one too many times at the Birmingham store, he was spotted by a security guard and later arrested.
Meah confessed to his crimes, saying he had fallen on "hard times", Birmingham Live reports.
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The 42-year-old from Londonerry Lane, Smethwick, pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, July 26. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order.
Meah pulled off the trick with £30 shirts on July 1 and July 2, a £35 jacket on July 4 and suits worth £50 on July 7 and 10. Prosecutor Ros Butler said: "The method in this case was to select items once in the store and not having purchased it interfere with it and then represent that a refund was appropriate."
Judge David Wain summarised the offences himself adding: "He damaged a particular item having taken it to the changing rooms. He was observed on CCTV."
Vaughn Whistance, defending, told the court: "This is a man who had fallen on hard times for a short period. Those issues are now resolved. Issues in his private life with his partner meant that he was homeless living in a hostel on the Hagley Road.
"It's often used as a bail hostel. It's not the most salubrious place to be living. To his credit he admitted it in interview and has written to the store apologising to the staff. He did make an offer of payment."
Meah must carry out 50 hours of unpaid work, pay £340 compensation and a £114 victim surcharge. Judge Wain stated there was a "degree of sophistication" with the plot and added: "You found yourself in difficult circumstances. Sadly you are not the only person to find yourself in those situations. What you can't do is choose to steal, otherwise there would be bedlam."
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