SHOP worker Paul Watson was locked up for 12 months after he admitted stealing more than £11,000 from the till.

Watson, 23, had been fiddling the till for 18 months at Game by pretending to give refunds to customers, said prosecutor Sue Jacobs.

A check showed that he made 316 fraudulent refund transactions on games costing £30 and £40 at the shop in Wellington Square, Middlesbrough.

He admitted it when he was challenged by the company's loss supervision officer. The police were called and arrested him the same day.

Watson said that he began taking money to help his girlfriend, who had a part-time job, but then it became a habit and he was spending it on drink, takeaways and a holiday in Turkey.

Watson is being pursued for compensation by his bosses at Game, a computer games chain, said his barrister, Warren Grier.

He told the judge: "He is a man of hitherto good character who made full admissions at the earliest stage.

"He is extremely remorseful and he is fully aware that these offences are a breach of trust and overstep the custody threshold."

Watson of Oxford Road, Hartlepool, was jailed for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to theft of £11,112 between February 15, 2004, and September 14 last year.