A supermarket worker burgled the store where he worked armed with a knife and hammer in case he met 'a have a go hero' as he raided the tills to pay off gambling debts.

Jack Stephens had worked at Tesco in St Peter's in Worcester for six years when he first stole cash and then carried out an armed burglary, making off with nearly £8,000.

The 25-year-old 'gambling addict' of Blakefield Road, St John's, Worcester, admitted theft between March 1 and July 4 last year and aggravated burglary on July 13 last year when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday.

Andrew Wallace, prosecuting, said in total Stephens stole £7,738, calling his actions 'a significant breach of trust'.

He stole £5,000 from the store by setting aside cash from the office that was due to go back into the tills to restock them as a float and pocketing the money, causing 'anxiety' among other member of staff who was persuaded this was 'appropriate'.

The cash figure was arrived at following an audit and the defendant later agreed it was accurate.

The aggravated burglary which followed involved Stephens hiding behind the customer service desk when the store was closing, equipping himself with a kitchen knife and a hammer. When he could not get into the tills with the hammer he ended up using a till key (which only staff have access to) to steal a further £2,738 which led Tesco staff to believe it had been 'an inside job'.

Andrew Wallace, prosecuting, said before the burglary Stephens entered the store at 11.54pm, just as the store was closing.

He said: "He was armed with a hammer and a knife. The hammer was to enable him to break open the tills. The knife was there in case he had to frighten any have a go hero. He hid under the customer service counter until the coast was clear."

His face was covered with dark clothing during the raid but Stephens was ultimately identified from his footwear.

"It was considered an inside job because of the till key," said Mr Wallace.

The matter was only reported to police after the defendant was interviewed by Tesco staff. Stephens made frank admissions.

Sam Lamsdale, defending, said Stephens's father had paid the compensation on his son's behalf but 'did not want to have anything to do with him again'.

"His relationship with his father has been completely destroyed," said Miss Lamsdale who provided seven character references on her client's behalf.

She said the situation 'led him to try and take his own life' by taking an overdose. The former Tesco worker, father of a 19-month-old daughter, now works for Worcester Bosch but has been furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Miss Lamsdale described how the defendant's former partner - the mother of his child - had also attempted to take her own life and that Stephens 'resorted to gambling as a form of escapism' but it 'escalated out of control' and he ended up taking out payday loans. However, he has since stopped gambling aside from 'a lapse in March'. Miss Lamsdale said the defendant's partner had said she was 'unable to trust him anymore' and this was 'the final nail in the coffin of his relationship'.

Judge James Burbidge QC, the Recorder of Worcester, said: "It's extremely sad and disappointing to see a young man of 25 years of age before this court with no previous convictions."

The judge said he agreed with the phrasing in the pre-sentence report which referred to Stephens having a 'toxic gambling addiction' which was 'all-encompassing'.

He accepted that Stephens did not commit the crimes 'to fund a lavish lifestyle or through greed' and that no-one else at the store had come under suspicion.

There was sobbing from the public gallery as Stephens was sentenced to 18 months in prison.