SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A 16-year-old Yellowknife boy was convicted Monday of scamming close to $30,000 from Extra Foods through fake refunds completed while he was employed there.

The teen, who cannot be named under the Criminal Youth Justice Act, stole $29,354.66 from the Old Airport Road store from Dec. 18, 2008 to March 22, 2009 by completing fake refunds to himself, mostly by debit.

The teen pleaded guilty.

"It appears most of this money was spent on alcohol, drugs and a lot of cabs," said Judge Bernadette Schmaltz. "It certainly is an unusual case when compared to the cases we (normally) deal with in Youth Justice Court."

A loss prevention employee working for the store first noticed the discrepancies during an internal audit - none of the fake refund slips had been kept, although others for actual refunds completed on the same days were there.

He alerted the RCMP and an investigation began, resulting in a charge of theft over $5,000 against the teen.

Schmaltz told the accused the offence was a serious breach of trust, adding if the matter were in adult court he would be looking at significant jail time.

"You were able to do this because you were employed and because the company trusted you," she said.

A pre-sentencing report indicated the teen had suffered from drug and alcohol problems in the past, but had made significant progress in turning his life around since being charged. He is currently employed full-time at another Yellowknife store.

Crown prosecutor Glen Boyd did not ask for jail time. He said considering the teen's turn around, a combination of probation, restitution and community service would be more appropriate.

Boyd suggested the full amount stolen be paid back to Extra Foods and the teen serve 180 to 220 hours of community service.

"It seems he's a different person today than the person who stole $30,000 from Extra Foods," Schmaltz said in agreement.

She sentenced the teen to an 18-month probation, during which he must complete 100 hours of community service, and pay back the money at a rate of $750 a month.