Posted online: Aug 17th, 2010

The night manager of a Northern Ireland supermarket who told police he was forced to hand more than £36,000 takings from the store to thieves in Buncrana, has appeared in court charged with stealing the cash.

Derry Magistrates Court heard that during police interviews Michael Kearns (41), from Brecan Lea, Claudy admitted “it was his own decision to do this and nobody else was involved” in the theft of the money from the Tesco store in Limavady on August 7.

The court was told Kearns had told the PSNI he had been abducted by masked men who ordered him to withdraw cash from the store.

However, a police officer told the court there was no attempted abduction and Kearns had “formulated” the plan to steal the money, £36,201 in total, for himself.

The officer told the court that after taking the money, Kearns  drove to Sligo and left the money in a post office owned by his uncle before returning home.

The court heard after being arrested Kearns told police he had acted alone.

Opposing a bail application, the investigating officer in the case told the court the 41-year-old had a number of previous convictions for dishonesty, including fraud, altering documents, theft and shoplifting.

Bail was refused by Deputy District Judge Peter Prender on the grounds that Kearns could abscond or reoffend.

Kearns was remanded in custody to September 2 next to appear by video link.