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A veteran Sainsbury’s employee was reportedly sacked after he took some baggage for all times with out paying on the finish of an evening shift.

Niamke Doffou, who labored on the grocery store for 20 years, opted for the “zero bags used” choice on the self-service checkout as he packed up his purchasing on the finish of an evening shift at Romford Sainsbury’s Superstore, an employment tribunal heard.

He was introduced earlier than his superiors, who terminated his employment upon reviewing CCTV footage of the incident and figuring out that the grocery store might now not have faith in him, stories Mail Online.

Mr Doffou, a French native who has resided and labored within the UK for almost 20 years, held the place of an evening shift assistant on the East London retailer from June 2003 till his dismissal in October 2022 attributable to gross misconduct, as acknowledged within the tribunal.

However, his assertion of unfair dismissal was rejected by a decide who deemed it difficult to dispute the choice to terminate his employment following the theft of baggage bought to prospects for both 30p or 65p.

During the August financial institution vacation in 2022, he did some private purchasing within the early morning after working an evening shift.

He purchased £30 value of meals, pillows and bedding however CCTV footage confirmed he did not pay for the “multiple reusable bags for life” that he took to place his purchasing in on the self-service checkout.

The tribunal was advised he made “more than one” journey to get baggage, regardless of deciding on “zero bags used” choice on the display and checking his receipt on the finish of his purchasing.

Sharing his proof, Mr Doffou accepted Sainsbury’s had a “zero tolerance” strategy to theft – however insisted he was “tired” and “unaware of what he was doing” when he took them with out paying for them.

In September 2022, he was invited to attend a disciplinary investigation assembly, the place the CCTV was performed to him. At a disciplinary listening to the next month, he was dismissed for gross misconduct.

Bosses noticed he had “not acted in error” and though maybe “absent-mindedly”, had been “dishonest and deliberately not paid for the bags”.

The East London listening to was advised: “[The disciplinary chair] formed the view that he had deliberately selected the zero bags option on the self-checkout knowing full well he would need some to put his bulky shopping in.

“This in turn she concluded meant that [Sainsbury’s] could no longer have trust in [Mr Doffou] as an employee even if the bags did not cost as much as his shopping had.” He appealed this resolution, however this was dismissed.

Employment Judge Eleena Misra Okay.C stated: “Having considered all of the evidence before me I concluded that the claim for unfair dismissal is not well founded and is therefore dismissed.

“The CCTV footage and receipt clearly proved to [Sainsbury’s] that [Mr Doffou] took bags for life without paying for them.

“[Sainsbury’s] carried out a reasonable and proportionate investigation into the alleged conduct and he was given a full opportunity to respond.

“[Mr Doffou]’s explanations were not deemed to be credible explanations and [Sainsbury’s] was entitled on the evidence to conclude that he had committed misconduct notwithstanding the low value of the bags taken.

“Once the decision maker had concluded that he had acted dishonestly and committed theft, it is very hard to argue that the decision to dismiss fell outside a reasonable band of responses. I find that it was within such a band.”

Express.co.uk has reached out to Sainsbury’s for remark.