A boss has been ordered to pay a former employee £13,000 after "humiliating" him by bringing him to a police station with a "thief" sign around his neck.
Simon Cremer took the action after discovering that Mark Gilbert had written himself a cheque worth £845. However, despite already being accused of false imprisonment, Gilbert was then allowed to sue Cremer for the distress the incident had caused him.
Upon discovering the theft, Cremer placed a sign reading, 'Thief. I stole £845. Am on my way to the police station', around his employee's neck.
In an out-of-court settlement, the flooring boss has now been told that he must pay Gilbert £5,000 compensation as well as cover his £8,000 legal fees.
“It's absolutely disgusting that he was even able to sue me after he had stolen from me," Cremer is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "He stole from me yet he's the one walking away with the money. This has left me with no faith in the justice system whatsoever."
Gilbert claimed that he carried out the theft in 2008 because he was owed wages.