Disgraced Erol Doganoz, 29, was finally snared after a customer requested a refund and it was found one had already been made.
Court Reporter and Ewan Mowat Deputy Lifestyle, Trends, & Showbiz Editor
04:30, 24 Nov 2025Updated 08:34, 24 Nov 2025
Erol Doganoz embezzled £23k from his branch of Jewson(Image: Paisley Daily Express)
The former assistant manager of a Renfrewshire builders’ merchants who admitted to embezzling over £23,000 by making fake refunds to himself has avoided a jail sentence.
Disgraced Erol Doganoz was snared when a customer of Paisley Jewson attended the Greenhill Road store for a refund for unused items. The computer system flagged a refund had already been made for these items – however, not by the customer.
The sneaky 29-year-old would wait until the branch manager had left work for the day before issuing himself cash and debit card refunds when he was cashing up for the night.
Procurator fiscal depute Alyson McLaughlan previously told Paisley Sheriff Court Doganoz began working with Jewson in a Glasgow branch around 10 years ago, working up to his role as assistant manager of the Paisley store.
She told how Jewson uses a computerised sales system which employees access using unique personal user identification numbers.
The town’s court also heard it was company policy for refunds to be issued in the form they had been paid, meaning if a card was used to purchase goods, then the refund was to be issued to the card and not made in cash.
Ms McLaughlan explained: “On September 11, 2023, a customer attended at the Paisley branch and attempted to obtain a refund for materials that were unused.
The shamed assistant manager was caught making fake refunds to himself(Image: Paisley Daily Express)
“The system provided information that a refund had already been provided to the customer in cash despite the original transaction being made by card. The refund had been processed under the user ID of the accused.
“On September 14, the Paisley branch manager contacted a security consultant at Jewson’s parent company and informed him of his suspicions in relation to the accused.
“The branch manager had identified a further two transactions made on September 13, 2023, under the accused’s ID where transactions had been refunded onto a debit card. At that time, the accused did not engage with the investigation and he resigned from his position on September 20, 2023.”
Paisley Sheriff Court(Image: Paisley Daily Express)
The court heard the branch manager went through all refund transactions on the system for the Paisley branch and identified a large number of fraudulent transactions carried out under the accused’s user ID.
Ms McLaughlan added: “Monies were refunded in a mixture of cash and onto a single bank card. The total amount embezzled by the accused between August 1, 2022 and September 12, 2023, in a mixture of cash and card transactions was £23,538.91.”
Defence agent Urfan Dar told the court this was “a very serious matter.” Mr Dar added: “It was a poor error of judgement and one he is ashamed of. He can repay £10,000 today and the balance within six months.”
Sheriff Thomas Millar stated: “Normally, a figure of this sum would be a custodial sentence. Because of your early plea you are entitled to a discount but the discount will be not having a custodial sentence imposed and I will impose the maximum hours of unpaid work.”
Doganoz, of Shillay Street, Milton, Glasgow, was ordered to pay £10,000 in compensation within two weeks and the remaining balance of £13,538.91 within six months.
In addition, Doganoz was made subject to supervision of the social work department for six months and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community within 12 months.