A primary school teacher who tricked Asda out of almost £3,000 worth of goods by exploiting a glitch in its discount system has been allowed to continue her career in education.
Kirstie Reynolds, who worked at Prudhoe West Academy in Northumberland, discovered that a discount code meant to reduce the price of rotisserie chicken to just one penny could also be used on other products.
Between February and March 2023, she repeatedly used the code at self-checkout machines, racking up nearly £1,031 in one store and around £1,700 in another.
Reynolds admitted fraud by false representation at South Shields Magistrates’ Court in June 2023. She was given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay a £400 fine, £3,000 compensation to Asda, a £160 victim surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
Following her conviction, her case was passed to the Teacher Regulation Agency, which considered whether she should be banned from the profession. Despite the seriousness of the offence, the panel ruled last month that it was in the “public interest” for her to remain in teaching.
The panel noted that Reynolds had since moved into Early Years education, developing specialist skills in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). She has also been invited to join a local authority SEND steering group.
In her testimony, Reynolds said she had spent “every day for the last two years reflecting on how much her actions had hurt and negatively impacted her family, colleagues and the profession.” The panel said she showed genuine remorse and accepted full responsibility.
Parents from her new workplace have also written messages of thanks, praising her work with their children. A character reference submitted to the panel described her as “devastated and remorseful” and warned that removing her from teaching would deprive children and families of her positive influence.
As a result, Reynolds will be able to continue her teaching career, despite the conviction. Photo by Asda, Old Kent Road by Derek Harper, Wikimedia commons.