A bakery manager who embezzled £68,000 from her employer was apprehended after senior management deployed mystery shoppers to uncover her fraudulent activities, a court has heard. Taylor Curl, 31, from Clydebank near Glasgow, was employed as a branch manager at Aulds Bakery in Glasgow's St Enoch shopping centre starting in January 2018.
Discovery of Discrepancies
In 2020, retail manager Lesley Marr identified significant irregularities in financial reports, specifically concerning voided transactions involving substantial sums. Mrs Marr alerted her husband, Alan Marr, who served as a managing director, and he subsequently informed financial director Craig Anderson. A thorough investigation was initiated by Mrs Marr and Mr Anderson to scrutinise the anomalies.
Prosecutor Ryan Watson informed Glasgow Sheriff Court that the investigation confirmed Curl's responsibility for the theft. Over a 22-month period from March 5, 2018, to January 23, 2020, Curl voided transactions totalling £68,000 to illicitly obtain cash, purportedly to settle a pre-existing drug debt. This contrasted sharply with the previous manager's tenure, where only £1,000 in transactions had been voided.
Mystery Shopper Operation
To gather concrete evidence, senior management orchestrated a covert operation involving mystery shoppers. Mr Anderson, who had never met Curl, participated as a shopper. He purchased several items, including shortbread for £1.75, but later discovered this transaction had been voided without authorisation.
Another mystery shopper ordered three coffees, an empire biscuit, and a sausage roll. Mrs Marr conducted a search and found no record of this sale, confirming it had been voided off the system. These findings provided irrefutable proof of Curl's misconduct.
Confrontation and Legal Proceedings
Confronted by Mr Anderson, Curl was asked to explain the discrepancies but failed to admit to her actions. She was promptly dismissed from her position, and the Marrs along with Mr Anderson reported the incident to the police. Curl later pleaded guilty to a charge of embezzling £68,000.
Defence solicitor Liam Runciman stated that Curl had accrued a drug debt prior to the offending, which motivated her criminal behaviour. Prosecutor Ryan Watson noted that no repayment has been made by Curl to date.
Sheriff Joan Kerr deferred sentencing pending background reports until next month, while continuing Curl's bail in the interim. The case highlights the effectiveness of internal audits and mystery shopper tactics in detecting corporate fraud within the retail sector.
