A CUB scout leader has been convicted of stealing from a store's lottery till. Matthew Clark, 20, of Crabble Lane, Dover, and Stuart Baker, also 20, of Squire Avenue, Canterbury, both part-time shop assistants, were seen pocketing cash.

Security staff were called in at W.H. Smith in Canterbury to investigate losses which amounted to hundreds of pounds. Both admitted theft when they appeared before Canterbury magistrates. Each was sentenced to a 180-hour community punishment order.

Alan Croft, prosecuting, said loss prevention officers set up surveillance cameras on the till to find out who was taking money.

He said the footage showed both Clark and Baker helping themselves, although there was no suggestion they were working together and were separately charged and dealt with by the court.

Clark, a computer engineering student at Kent University and a Cub Scout leader, told police he was stealing about £100 a week and had taken about £700. He said he spent the money on car insurance and repairs.

Kerry Waitt, for Baker, said his client's conviction would also certainly ruin his hopes of a career in retail management. Neither has any previous convictions.