The Keswick News & Star had just about the the best headline yesterday: BOSS STOLE TO PAY MUM RENT. The boss in question was Keswick WHSmith manager Steven Hinde, hauled into court after discrepancies were found in the end-of-day closing cash balances between October 2005 and last November. Investigators arrived on November 14 to carry out a manual check of the safe and found a shortfall of more than 1,000 pounds. When confronted, Hinde ‘fessed up that e had taken 300 pounds – in two lump sums of 200 and 100 pounds – to pay his mother for rent and forgot to pay it back due to “stress at work.”

Hinde, who had no previous convictions, was given a 12-month community order and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work. District Judge Gerald Chalk said: “This is beyond the level of a fine because you abused a position of trust.” Hinde must also pay 60 pounds towards prosecution costs.