Accused of having hand in cash drawer, but Rachel was only emptying out gum wrappers

A CASHIER accused by Tesco of stealing £42 from a till has spoken of her delight at proving the supermarket wrong and clearing her name.

Rachel Price was yesterday found not guilty of taking the money during a shift at the company's Warndon branch in Worcester, where she had worked for 10 years.

The mother-of-one, who could have gone to jail for seven years if found guilty, said it was a torment waiting 17 months to prove her innocence.

"I was so chuffed when they said, 'not guilty' I cried my eyes out," said Mrs Price, aged 39, of Drovers Way, Blackpole, who was sacked over the claim.

"I was worried all along, knowing I was not guilty but thinking, 'I'm going to lose against a multi-billion pound company like Tesco'.

"That's what's worried me through the whole thing - what's going to happen if I get jailed with my husband, my daughter, my house, my reputation? I feared I would lose everything for something I didn't do."

Her ordeal began in January 2004 when Tesco, which made £2bn profit last year, accused her of stealing two £20 notes and £2 in coin.

She told Worcester Crown Court that money found in her handbag, which the store said was taken from the till, turned out to be family allowance that had not been used.

Film from a secret camera above her checkout that supposedly showed her taking the money actually recorded her putting used chewing gum wrappers in her pocket.

"I just feel totally disgusted because I was such an honest and reliable person. It's absolutely terrible because I worshipped that job," said Mrs Price, who was prescribed anti-depressants while she waited for her name to be cleared.

"I bent over backwards when they asked about overtime and came in at the drop of a hat. How possibly could there be any suspicion I would do such a thing?"

Husband Gary, 40, said: "If they treated customers like they treated staff they would be broke."

Last night Mrs Price returned to the store vindicated.

"I felt embarrassed before, wondering what staff were thinking of me. But I went in there to hold my head up high and it was a great feeling," she said.

There was no one from Tesco available for comment.