A Morrisons store manager with nearly three decades of service has been sacked after physically confronting a serial shoplifter, tackling him to the ground.
Sean Egan, 46, had been employed at the Aldridge store near Walsall since the age of 17, building a 29-year career with the supermarket chain.
Despite contacting police about the theft, Mr Egan subsequently faced an internal investigation by Morrisons that resulted in his termination.
Mr Egan described the alleged thief as becoming violent when escorted from the premises, claiming he repeatedly spat at the manager.
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He said: "He was very aggressive and spitting at me.
"As the store manager, I put myself in a position to protect my staff and customers.
"There’s a lot of pressure in retail to protect the product, to not lose money.”
When the shoplifter reached towards his bag, the manager acted on instinct, grabbing the man's arm to prevent him from retrieving something potentially dangerous.
A Morrisons store manager with nearly three decades of service has been sacked after physically confronting a serial shoplifter
|Egan said: "I stepped forward and I flung my arm back - that was my instant reaction.
"I grabbed his arm to stop him entering his bag to grab something, and then an altercation happened.
"My thought is, ‘I’ve got to stop this guy.
"I don’t know what he’s going to do, not only to me, but anybody else’."
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Morrisons is just one UK supermarket that has been targeted by shoplifters
| GETTYThe altercation followed his attempt to remove the aggressive individual from the store.
At his disciplinary hearing, Mr Egan was informed his dismissal stemmed from breaching the company's deter-and-not-detain policy.
He said: "As part of the policy for me as the store manager, it is to escort him out the premises yet as I was doing so he was very aggressive and spitting at me."
Since his dismissal, Mr Egan has faced mounting difficulties in both his professional and personal life.
Morrisons said it could not comment on individual cases
|GETTY
Mr Egan told The Sun: "It’s difficult to get on with my normal life, it’s impacted my personal life - with my children, my partner and socially.
He added: "My last pay was in January, and we’re barely surviving.
"I’ve given so much to a business where I’ve actually lived for work… but it in that moment I felt like everything I had given was attacked."
The Wolverhampton resident case echoes a similar incident earlier this month when a Waitrose worker was also dismissed for stopping a suspected shoplifter from taking Easter eggs.
Walker Smith was previously sacked for stopping a shoplifter at Waitrose
| GOFUNDME / WALKER SMITHMorrisons said it could not comment on individual cases, but a spokesman told GB News: "We are continuing to take wide ranging action to address the threat of shoplifting or violence in our stores.
"The health and safety of all colleagues and customers is of paramount importance to Morrisons. We have very clear guidance, procedures and controls in place to protect our colleagues and customers from the risk of harm, which must be strictly followed.
"These include detailed procedures for handling shoplifting incidents, which are in place to protect both the colleague involved and surrounding colleagues and customers, and which seek to de-escalate and calmly control the situation. We will not ask colleagues to put themselves at risk.
"As a responsible employer, our focus is entirely on taking the correct action to ensure health and safety is maintained at all times."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took to social media to slam the dismissal
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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took to social media to slam the dismissal, writing: "Shame on you, Morrisons. Give this family man his job back."
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp argued that Morrisons "must immediately reinstate Sean Egan."
The Conservative MP added: "He rightly and bravely confronted an aggressive shoplifter. Morrisons shamefully fired him - after 29 years service.
"Retailers must support their staff who stand up against criminals. I’m sick of criminals being allowed to do what they like and decent people like Sean getting penalised."
Chris Philp wrote a letter addressed to the supermarket chain
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In a letter addressed to the supermarket chain, Mr Philp added: "The police and this failing Labour Government must do more to tackle shoplifting.
"However, store staff should be supported when they intervene to stop shoplifting as well. If people just stand by and do nothing while thieves walk off with stock, then shoplifting will continue to snowball.
"That’s why staff or the public who take action (which the law expressly allows them to do) should be encouraged and supported, not punished.
"Your terrible decision to sack Sean will simply incentivise even more shoplifting against Morrisons and more widely."
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