A SHOP worker who used his position of trust to help himself to £45,000 from his firm's safe was jailed for 15 months yesterday.

Appearing for sentence at Durham Crown Court, Gary Crawford 32, of Grey Gardens, Coundon, County Durham, admitted stealing a large part of the day's takings at the Bishop Auckland branch of Argos.

Mark Styles, prosecuting said team leader Crawford was working with another employee at about 7.15pm on September 26 when he told his colleague to go home.

The court heard that when the manager arrived next morning it was discovered that a total of £45,373 in cash and cheques had been stolen from the safe.

Suspicion fell on Crawford, who was last seen on the same evening buying clothing from Bishop Auckland's branch of Asda.

A week later he was tracked down to a hotel room in York, where he still had £40,448 in his possession.

When questioned by police he admitted he had spent his time drinking and worrying about what to do with the money.

He told them: "I have been expecting you. I wish you had come for me earlier.''

He admitted stealing the money after taking the safe keys from a cupboard.

Don McFaul, defending, described the offence as inexplicable. He said Crawford, who had worked for nine years for Argos, had shown no pattern of dishonesty.

Earlier in the year, he had been prescribed medication for depression, which he had stopped taking at the time of the offence.

Judge Dennis Ord, jailing Crawford for 15 months, told him he had "woefully betrayed the trust" placed in him by his employer.

He said: "You had a secure job, a stable relationship and no debts, it is difficult to know what prompted you to do this.''

The judge said he could only put the offence down to Crawford's failure to take his medication and his liking for alcohol.

But he said a custodial sentence was necessary to persuade any employees of the need to resist temptation.