TWO John Lewis workers helped themselves to more than £30,000 from the High Wycombe store because they had student debts.

Using a conspiracy of "astonishing simplicity" housemates Edward Madziwa, 24, and Udi Silva, 23, of Gayhurst Road, High Wycombe, were among four men who credited their own bank accounts with fraudulent customer refunds.

David Berridge, 22, also of Gayhurst Road, and Sayf Hadi, 22, of Church Road, Ealing, also received credit card payments. The pair were friends of Madziwa and Silva, but did not work at John Lewis.

Aylesbury Crown Court heard how BCUC student Madziwa and the three others defrauded the branch, in Holmers Farm Way, during an 11-month period, from December 2003.

Alan Blake, defending Madziwa, said his Zimbabwean-born client had student debts of £4,000. He started using a fradulent credit card under the name John Burton.

With it he purchased flowers, petrol and a PlayStation before targeting John Lewis his employer for four years where he dealt with customer refunds.

"It was a conspiracy of astonishing simplicity," said Mr Blake. "He would refund his own card and the John Burton credit card for goods such as sofa beds and would simply discard the receipts that the company would process. He knows he abused the trust which was placed on him."

The four men had an agreement whereby the one making the fraudulent refund and the person who allowed his card to be used would split each transaction 50/50.

In total, Madziwa initiated more than £26,000 and received about £3,500 while Silva initiated more than £4,000 and gained about £18,000.

Berridge and Hadi received £1,557 and £6,000 respectively.

Prior to the fraud each defendant had run up huge student debts totalling thousands of pounds, the court heard. Silva had debts of £12,000.

David Harounoff, defending Silva, said "That is how he came to be involved in these offences. Madziwa approached him and asked him if he would like to make some money."

Michael Skelley, defending Hadi, said: "His long-held ambition is to become a solicitor, but that now is very much in doubt."

On Wednesday Judge Gordon Risius acknowledged the four, who all pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud, had repaid or were in the process of paying back the money.

He said Silva and Madziwa were "more culpable" than the other two owing to their employment with John Lewis.

He sentenced Madziwa to six months in prison and Silva for four months. Hadi and Berridge were ordered to serve 150-hour community punishment orders.