Asda worker sacked after 25 years for grabbing shoplifter who stole a bottle of vodka Gavin Ramsay, 49, was collecting trolleys outside the South Shields store in August 2025 when he saw a group of youths emerge with stolen alcohol. One youth pulled an Absolut Vodka bottle complete with security tag from his trousers, prompting Ramsay to grip him from behind in an attempt to retrieve it. A brief tussle followed and the youth fell to the ground with a cut lip, after which Ramsay immediately stepped back. The other youths then followed him into the store and pushed him violently onto a moving walkway. Two weeks later Asda dismissed him for gross misconduct, ruling he had breached policy by physically challenging the shoplifter despite his long service. Was Asda right to do this or was he right to try and stop them?
