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The former manager of a restaurant admitted being part of a loyalty scheme scam that cost the business more than £21,000.

Mario D’Agostino, 61, of Deganwy Close, Buckley, had been the manager of Piccolino in Pepper Street, Chester.

At Chester Crown Court on 30 July he pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The court heard the fraud involved creating fake customer profiles to redeem points and discounts.

The loyalty scheme had an introductory offer that gave customers £20 off their next visit.

In April 2022 the chain which owned the Chester restaurant launched an investigation after noticing an unusually high number of customers using the introductory offer at the Chester venue compared to other sites.

The figures showed 60% of customers were redeeming points using the loyalty scheme at the Chester restaurant, compared to an average of seven percent.

During the internal investigation D'Agostino admitted that he was responsible.

He said that he, and other members of staff at the Chester site, had been creating fake email addresses and loyalty profiles in order to exploit the scheme.

Between June 2021 and July 2022 D'Agostino committed fraud to the value of over £21,000 via the scheme.

Detective constable Joe Duckworth, of Cheshire Police said: "D'Agostino held a position of trust, and he abused that trust for his own financial gain.

"Through his actions, he exploited more than £21,000 from the loyalty scheme, causing a significant loss to the restaurant.

"I welcome the fact that he has now been held accountable for his actions, and I hope that his conviction will act as a warning to others that Cheshire Police will continue to pursue those involved in fraud."

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