Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 58
1 product mix till read out, and that this had the effect of
2 creating surplus money which went towards balancing a cash
3 shortfall.
4
5 MR. MORRIS: This, I think he says, was when the cash profit and
6 loss -----
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: --- cash plus or minus for the week was
9 considered to be outside acceptable limits.
10
11 MR. MORRIS: Right.
12
13 MR. JUSTICE BELL: (To the witness) First of all, as to the
14 generality, what do you say about that?
15 A. Well, I have known it happen in McDonald's, during my
16 time at McDonald's; and any time it has been discovered,
17 then disciplinary action would have been taken against a
18 manager who would behave in that manner. All managers were
19 aware that it was -- I do not know if was illegal, but it
20 was not far off it, because it was defrauding the Company
21 out of that cash; although if it was done for a cash plus
22 or minus scheme, that would not necessarily be for personal
23 gain.
24
25 If Kevin knew of any managers doing that whilst I was in
26 the Colchester restaurant, he never ever informed me that
27 it was going on, and I was never aware of it happening
28 whilst I was in the Colchester restaurant.
29
30 MR. MORRIS: In your statement, you said: "I am aware of this
31 taking place in some restaurants during my time at
32 McDonald's"?
33 A. That is right.
34
35 Q. There would be no personal benefit for the manager out of
36 it, in terms they would not be pocketing any money or
37 anything?
38 A. Well, in the scenario that Kevin described -- that was
39 that they would be taking this money and using it to affect
40 the cash plus or minus -- there would be no personal
41 benefit.
42
43 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It was to get rid of the plus or minus which
44 was thought to be too great; it would not be putting money
45 in their pocket in the situation he is envisaging?
46 A. Not in the situation that he outlined. However, there
47 is always -- there is that option.
48
49 MR. MORRIS: It would be purely something done to prevent
50 somebody like an area supervisor, or higher, saying: "Your
51 money does not balance" or -- is it something to give a
52 false impression of sales, or something like that, or is it
53 just something -----
54 A. No, a false impression of cash plus or minus in the
55 tills is what it is -----
56
57 Q. So that at the end of the week there would be some
58 discrepancy with the money officially run through the tills
59 and the money actually counted; that was the problem?
60 A. That is it, yes.
