A SECURITY chief stole £15,000 from shops he was paid to protect, and tried to blame other staff members.
Simon Round, 31, carried out the theft spree at branches of Boots, in the North-East.
One woman's marriage broke down after Round told management he believed she was involved in the theft.
Other staff members feared they would be sacked after receiving disciplinary letters.
Round, of Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, admitted six counts of theft, totalling £15,000, after a series of burglaries at Boots stores in Newcastle and Northumberland.
He was warned at Newcastle Crown Court that the usual sentence for such serious offences is a prison term.
Judge Esmond Faulks adjourned sentence for reports to be prepared.
Round, who had patrolled Boots stores in Newcastle and Sunderland, admitted the thefts, between November 1997 and May 1998. He was caught when police found £2,500 in his car boot.
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