Desperation drove a supermarket manager to steal from his employers, the accused man’s lawyer told Magistrates’ Court.Gary Clayton Dillas, of Quarry Hill Road, Warwick, was employed as a front-end manager for the MarketPlace on Church Street.He was dismissed from his job after stealing $5,000 in cash from the Hamilton supermarket.The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to one charge of theft when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner.His lawyer, Peter Farge, said Dillas had fallen on hard times after suffering a stroke last year that required treatment overseas.Mr Farge said the illness left Dillas with difficulties walking and speaking.Dillas was not able to work for three months, and was given reduced hours when he did return. His illness also required further treatment at King Edward VII Memorial.Crown counsel Susan Mulligan told the court the store’s general manager, Vernon Hassell, noticed Dillas counting money in the supermarket’s cash office at 6.30pm on July 30.Mr Hassell was told that Dillas had needed to sit down, and decided to count the cash while resting in the office.Dillas had done so in the past, but it was not part of his usual duties at the store.On the morning of August 1, $5,000 in $50 notes was found missing from that day’s takings. The money had been lodged at HSBC Bank in three deposit bags.Dillas admitted taking the money, and was subsequently arrested.At the police station, $1,800 in cash found in Dillas’s pockets was seized. The Crown now seeks the return of the remaining $3,200.Calling the offence a serious breach of trust, Ms Mulligan asked that Dillas be given an immediate custodial sentence.Mr Warner granted Dillas bail of $2,000 with one surety, and ordered a social inquiry report. He will return to court on December 15.