Brit boss has to sell home to pay off employee he forced to wear ‘thief’ sign

LONDON - The head of a flooring business in Britain, who shamed an employee by forcing him to wear a “thief” sign, has revealed that he now has to sell his home to pay compensation to the latter.

Simon Cremer, 46, had in September 2008 made Mark Gilbert, 40, go out in public with a placard around his neck that read: “THIEF. I Stole 845 pounds. Am on my way to the police station”.

But now Cremer, who runs the business in Essex, has had to pay one-time employee Gilbert compensation for the embarrassment.

“It was something I wanted to do to humiliate him. I think that was a just treatment for him due to the fact that the police only gave him a caution,” Sky News quoted him as saying.

“I think I was correct to do that. I don’t feel any guilt for doing it,” he said.

He said he was upset at the time over the betrayal of trust from Gilbert, who had written a company cheque to himself.

Gilbert was arrested on suspicion of theft but later accepted a police caution.

Cremer later faced a charge of false imprisonment along with three other men, but the case was dropped.

Soon after, Gilbert launched a civil action against his former boss for the “stress, humiliation and trauma” he suffered during the incident.

“When I was informed Mr Gilbert would be taking civil action against me I was shocked. I wanted to fight the case but I was told it would be cheaper to settle out of court,” he said.

The pair settled out of court and Cremer has had to pay a total of 34,000 pounds, including 5,000 pounds in compensation and nearly 30,000 pounds in legal costs.

“I am disappointed and disgusted with the legal system,” he stated.

“I now have to sell my house to pay for this. A guy stole from me and I now have to sell my house to pay him.

“Financially I regret it but morally I don’t. I think it was the right thing to do,” he added. (ANI)