Theft: Barmaid Abby Brindle has admitted stealing £3,000 from the pub where she worked

A barmaid who was caught on camera stealing £3,000 from the till of the pub where she worked has been ordered to repay just £500 after saying she was sorry.

Student nurse Abby Louise Brindle, 21, took cash from her employer and used it to pay off credit cards and buy cannabis and a new iPhone.

However, after she told magistrates she was 'acutely remorseful' about the crime and expressed concern about her future career, they said she would have to repay only £5 a week.

Richard Hilliard, manager of Tricky's bar in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, set up a CCTV camera disguised as a smoke alarm after noticing that money was going missing from the till.

He saw Brindle stuffing banknotes into her handbag, and when he confronted her she admitted stealing the money to pay for credit card and loan bills.

She also spent the cash on cannabis, an Xbox console, a new iPhone, hair extensions and bicycles which she gave to young relatives.

'Within 12 minutes of her shift starting, she went to the cash drawer, took the money out, and put it in her bag,' Mr Hilliard said.

'We then watched the rest of her shift, and she was just taking money out of the drawer over and over during the night and putting them in her purse. There were people at the bar while she was doing it. We were stunned.'



Caught: A hidden CCTV camera filmed Brindle taking bundles of cash from the bar

'There was once a time that any employee who stole from the boss was automatically sent to jail - and I expected her to get at least three months in prison because she had been stealing from me for some time,' the landlord said.

'But I was fuming when I heard what she got. Payback at £5 a week is a joke and just mere pocket money for what she did - and as a taxpayer I even have to pay it because it comes out of her benefits.

Student: Brindle is currently studying as a nurse and worries she will not be able to get a job in future

Workplace: The manager of Tricky's bar in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire is £2,500 out of pocket 'Abby was like part of the family. We have known her for years and we were the best of friends. I gave her a job and I trusted her completely. I let her run the pub, and if she was stuck for money I would lend it to her. I can't believe she has betrayed us like this. 'When we went to court and heard the verdict I just sat there shocked and appalled. I have never had money stolen from me before and never thought it would be from one of my own. 'The irony is that you don't expect your staff, your family even, to steal from you. I will never get that money back.'

Mr Hilliard added that he had never suspected that Brindle could be capable of the crime, due to the long-standing links between him and his employee.

Sorry: Brindle was allowed to avoid paying back the majority of the money after she apologised in court

Benefits: Brindle, pictured on a night out with a friend, is living off benefits after taking a year off from university

Fury: The manager of the bar said that Brindle was like a member of the family



'Abby is a really bubbly girl who lights up the room when she walks in,' he said. 'I honestly thought I had got a diamond when she started doing shifts with us.

'I have known her mother for a long time too. They are a lovely family and they were all in tears when they found out what she did. Her mother offered to pay me back - but it isn't her fault, why should she pay me back?'

In court, defence lawyer Janet Syme claimed Brindle was 'acutely remorseful' to be appearing in court for the first time. She said Brindle was taking a year out from an adult nursing course at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk because of a spinal injury.

Miss Syme added: 'She has ambitions to become a nurse and fears this conviction may be an obstacle to that. People who have known her for a long time were shocked to hear she had been involved in this offence.