A FORMER manager of the town centre branch of Specsavers has been jailed for a year after he fleeced the store out of thousands of pounds.

Simon Backhouse, 29, treated the company's money as if it were his own within weeks of getting the top job at the Regent Street store.

Backhouse was first caught with his hand in the till as he issued fraudulent cash refunds to himself from the opticians.

And when investigators looked more closely at what he had been up to they found he had also been using the company credit card as if it were his.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that suspicions were raised about the refunds earlier this year and head office started an investigation.

It was noticed many of the refunds were at the end of the day and CCTV, some of which he had deleted, showed him taking cash from the till when no-one else was around.

Investigators also contacted some of the customers who had supposedly had their money back and none said they had.

After finding £2,143 had gone missing bosses looked at his use of a credit card he had been issued with to buy incidentals for the store and staff.

Miss Squire said that after he had been given the plastic he asked if it he could use his personal Amazon Prime account as it gave free next day delivery for the shop.

He was granted permission but when his use of the plastic was looked at it was found he had spent £16,553 on himself over the previous two years.

She said he had bought laptops and other expensive computer equipment, which he then sold on eBay, as well numerous vouchers.

When he was questioned Backhouse admitted what he had been doing saying he was sorry because bosses had treated him so well.

The court was told that while he was there one of the directors of the franchise loaned him £15,000 to help him with his debts, but he had only repaid £1,500.

Miss Squire said the shop was a franchise meaning the major shareholder was the main loser, not a faceless corporation.

She said he also faced the prospect of not getting the loan repaid, thought that was not part of the criminal case.

Backhouse, of Rodbourne Road, pleaded guilty to theft and false accounting between the start of 2015 and March this year.

Mark Ashley, defending, said that his client had spiralled into heavy debt following the break down of his marriage.

After leaving the family home he said he was left with nothing and still owed in the region of £30,000.

He accepted that none of the money he stole had been used to pay back any of his debts and he was now facing the prospect of bankruptcy.

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC said: "You used the card and refunds to buy various items all of which were used really for your own enjoyment. To that extent there was a degree of high living.

"It is said one of the reasons you behaved in that was is because of the debts you had. It is not entirely clear how you ended up that way."