Millionaire caught shoplifting meat and wine worth Ksh 28,000 from supermarket

UK:  A millionaire company director was caught on CCTV shoplifting Ksh28,000 (£200) worth of meat and wine from a Tesco store in Birmingham.

Ronan Ghosh, 39, tried to smuggle the goods out of the supermarket on Stratford Road by hiding them in a bag.

But the company boss, who heads a global recycling firm, was spotted on the store's security cameras and police were called.

Ghosh, who lives in a luxury house in leafy Solihull, appeared before Birmingham Crown Court after initially electing trial by jury, but then pleaded guilty to theft, reports the Birmingham Mail.

Judge Murray Creed sentenced the businessman to a 12 month community order and he was ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work and pay Ksh81,000 (£575) costs.

Charnjit Jutla, defending, said: "He's the director of RG Recycling a limited company that supplies high-value machinery for the recycling industry.

"It is a global business.

"It has a yearly turnover of Ksh 2.2b (£16) million.

"It beggars belief as to why he finds himself in this court.

"He had no financial difficulties.

"He accepts full responsibility for what he has done."

Mr Jutla said Ghosh, from Manor Road, was "disappointed with himself and shocked and embarrassed".

On the day in question, his father had told him his mother had been diagnosed with skin cancer and that had "worried him a lot".

Mr Jutla said there was also a will being discussed within the family which had put considerable strain on him.

Lal Amarasinghe, prosecuting, said Ghosh visited the Tesco on February 21 and was captured on CCTV selecting items, including meat and bottles of wine, which he put into a bag.

He then went to the checkout and paid for shopping that was in his trolley – but not for what was in the bag.

Ghosh was detained by a security guard.

When quizzed, the millionaire said he had visited the store after having an argument with his girlfriend and claimed he had not intended to steal the goods.

Ghosh set up RG Recyling, based in Warwick Road, Solihull, in 2009.

The company trades in new and used waste processing equipment and recyclable materials.

Its website states: "Ronan Ghosh has been in the plant/recycling industry for almost 20 years.

"He initially gained his experience in the USA.

"Having worked for a market leader for a number of years he saw the need to diversify into other sectors.

"He set up his own company in 2009 and the company now offers a range of products and solutions for recovering difficult to screen materials."