article: Michael Gridley, 26, was jailed for a year after orchestrating a scam to steal £15,000 of goods from the Asda in Basildon, Essex, where he worked . An Asda manager orchestrated a scam that used the supermarket's own delivery service to steal goods worth more than £15,000 - then managed to land a job at Lidl after he was sacked. Michael Gridley, 26, was jailed after running the scam where stock including alcohol, cigarettes, DVDs, computer games and consoles were taken from the store in Basildon, Essex, where he worked. Southend Crown Court heard how the conspiracy was uncovered, following a period during which Gridley and colleague Jay Reed were under suspicion. Thomas Daniel, prosecuting, told the court that goods, ranging from televisions to baby formula, were delivered to Reed's address and presumably sold on. He said: 'Two anonymous reports were received by Asda, one of which suggested Mr Gridley was involved in selling items believed to have been stolen, such as TVs and baby formula. 'When Mr Gridley was ill for a certain period of time, those deliveries stopped, and when he recovered they started again. 'Another email suggested stolen goods being delivered to the address of Mr Gridley's cousin.' But shockingly, after being sacked from the store, Gridley managed to land a managerial role at Lidl in Romford, Essex. Gridley, who was former home shopping manager of the store, was sentenced to 12 months for his leading role in a conspiracy to steal £15,852.46 worth of goods between November 2013 and April last year. The court heard that Reed and another defendant James Munyard had been pressured into taking part in the scam by Gridley, who was their superior. Stock including alcohol, cigarettes were taken from shelves and delivered to addresses using the supermarket's own home delivery service. File photo . Section leader Reed, 23, and Munyard, 21, both avoided prison, but were given suspended sentences of eight and four months, respectively. Mitchell Cohen, representing Munyard, told the court that his client, whose role was confined to taking items off shelves and putting them in a crate, had attempted to be transferred from the store in order to escape Gridley's control. James Munyard (pictured) avoided jail for his part in the scam . Reed was deemed to have been in a position of trust and responsibility in the criminal enterprise, but Recorder Gerard Pounder said he had a lesser role than Gridley, 26, and Munyard even less so. Despite hearing Gridley, of Tilbury,  financially supported his former partner and their two-year-old child but also his own father and grandparents, Recorder Pounder said he had no choice but to send him to prison. He said: 'You were in a position of supreme trust and you say you started this because of threats made regarding a drug debt of your cousin's, you continued even as those threats faded, and brought other people in, too.' Sentencing Reed to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and 200 hours' unpaid work, he said: 'You were in a lesser role than Mr Gridley but you were a section leader and had responsibilities. 'In that respect you were somebody who knew the system and it was to your premises these items were taken - without that and your part in the enterprise, it would not have worked.' Munyard, who Mr Cohen said 'didn't have the spine to stand up to what he was being asked to do,' was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 100 hours' unpaid work. A spokesperson for Lidl told MailOnline they are unable to comment until an internal investigation has been conducted.
highlights: Michael Gridley, 26, was jailed after running the scam at store in Basildon .
  Was sacked from position after supermarket received anonymous reports .
  But he is now employed as a manager at Lidl supermarket in Romford .
  Sentenced to 12 months at Southend Crown Court for leading role in scam .
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