An Asda employee ran up a shocking £6,217 bill on company taxi rides using the supermarket’s Cabfind account. The cheeky spree included a 115-mile round trip from Maidstone to London just to visit his mum – all on Asda’s dime.
Unauthorised Trips Across Kent and London
Leroy Helegbe, 30, exploited a taxi account meant only for managers and emergencies. Despite being an hourly-paid staff member with no official access, he made a whopping 17 bookings between January and March. These included journeys like Gravesend to Edgware in north-west London and back to Maidstone.
‘Emergency-Only’ Account Abused for Months
At Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Sidumiso Moyo revealed the account was “rarely used” and intended only for urgent cases, such as ferrying sick staff. She called the scam “fraudulent activity over a sustained period,” describing it as a “breach of trust.”
Previous Convictions and Harsh Sentence
Helegbe, now a Network Rail labourer, has prior dishonesty convictions in 2018 and 2021. He pled guilty to 17 counts of fraud by false representation.
The court handed down a 12-week suspended jail term, 120 hours unpaid work, and 10 days rehabilitation. Helegbe must also repay £3,600 to Asda.
“We considered custody but are suspending the sentence due to your current work and real chance of rehabilitation. You need to be really careful — dishonesty erodes trust,” warned Chair of the bench Mr Knight.
