**M&S Employee Vows to Change After Stealing Thousands Due to Financial Hardship**
A long-serving Marks and Spencer employee has pledged to a Liverpool judge that she will never steal again, following her conviction for pocketing thousands of pounds from the retailer’s tills. Kayleigh McDonnell, aged 38, found herself in Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, where she faced the consequences of thefts that have not only ended her 20-year career but also left her family’s future uncertain.
McDonnell, a mother of four from Garston, had worked her way up to team leader over two decades at the New Mersey Shopping Park branch in Speke. Her professional aspirations were abruptly derailed after management noticed a pattern of significant cash shortfalls beginning in May 2024. According to evidence presented in court, an internal investigation involving CCTV footage revealed McDonnell repeatedly stealing cash by scanning items at customer tills before taking banknotes, often using an override code intended for legitimate “no sale” situations.
Prosecutor Jonathan Keane stated that McDonnell’s actions had been caught on camera on a dozen occasions between 14 May and 1 June of the previous year. In a particularly audacious move, she was recorded helping herself to the contents of the till four times in one single day. When confronted, McDonnell, who had no prior criminal record, was visibly distraught and admitted to her actions during a police interview, reportedly “crying throughout the process”.
Initially, McDonnell faced allegations of embezzlement amounting to over £12,000. However, she disputed this figure, claiming that the true sum was closer to £7,000. Her defence solicitor, Stella Hayden, painted a picture of a woman under intense financial duress, emphasising that McDonnell’s motivation was not greed, but desperation to provide for her children when all other avenues had failed. “These actions weren’t driven by any desire for a lavish lifestyle,” Hayden explained. “This was a mother who was struggling to meet the barest essentials for her household, including food.”
Hayden also revealed to the court that McDonnell’s partner had been out of work at the time of the thefts, leaving her as the sole provider for the family. This responsibility weighed heavily upon her, exacerbated by a growing series of debts and relentless communication from debt collection agencies. So dire had her circumstances become that McDonnell was reportedly reliant on food banks to ensure her family had enough to eat.
The defence insisted that McDonnell’s shame and regret were genuine, stressing that she had lost a career she loved and was “totally ashamed” of her actions. “She worked tirelessly, aspiring towards the role of store manager, often working long hours in an effort to set a positive example for her children,” Hayden told the court. Ultimately, the decision to steal appears to have been a last resort for someone who felt cornered by financial pressure.
In sentencing, Recorder Louis Browne KC described the situation as “extremely sad”, noting that McDonnell’s offence was marked by both breach of trust and clear premeditation. However, he also acknowledged her previously exemplary character and visible remorse: “For someone who has worked with an unblemished record for twenty years, this must have come as a tremendous shock – not only to you, but also to your family and friends.”
The court was told that McDonnell had accrued debts of around £25,000 and that her salary simply could not keep up with her family’s living costs. Judge Browne issued an 18-month community order and warned McDonnell that any breach of the order would result in more serious consequences. She was further ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and participate in a rehabilitation activity requirement for up to 10 days.
Throughout the hearing, McDonnell struggled to contain her tears, acknowledging her wrongdoing and expressing deep concern for the impact her actions would have on her family, including her five-month-old baby and three other children—one of whom is her partner’s child, for whom she cares as her own. Outside of the courtroom, the case serves as a solemn reminder of the pressures many working families face amidst the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
McDonnell’s promise never to offend again was heard loud and clear by the judge and those assembled. The hope, for both her and her family, is that this marks the beginning of a more stable future—one built not on desperate measures, but on renewed hope and responsibility.