A former Morrisons manager who was dismissed after tackling a shoplifter has received widespread support, with a fundraising campaign raising more than £16,000. Sean Egan, 46, had worked for the supermarket chain for nearly three decades before he was sacked following an altercation with a career criminal inside the Aldridge store.
Incident and Dismissal
Sean, from Wolverhampton, intervened when Daniel Kendall became aggressive and spat in his face. Despite following a calm approach initially, the situation escalated. A disciplinary hearing ruled that Sean violated the company's deter-and-not-detain policy, leading to his dismissal.
Speaking about the incident, Sean said: "All I tried to do was the right thing by protecting myself, my customers and my company. And for that I've been treated worse than a criminal. My whole life imploded from the moment he stepped into my store."
Community Support
Since losing his job, a GoFundMe page set up to support Sean has raised over £16,000. Organisers also arranged a peaceful protest outside Morrisons Aldridge on Saturday, April 25, from 9am to midday. A banner displayed at the protest called on the supermarket to "Do the right thing - reinstate Sean Egan," describing him as a "charitable man" who has "supported the community."
Morrisons' Response
A spokesperson for Morrisons said: "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."
Sean, who started working at Morrisons at age 17, expressed frustration at being treated more harshly than the criminal. He added: "I have been treated more harshly and unfairly than him because he's not lost as much as I have. I've been deemed to be the bigger criminal than him."
