THE assistant manager of a Merry Hill jewellery shop has been jailed for a year after he sanctioned the fraudulent sale of three Rolex watches so he could claim his £714 commission.

Judge Michael Mott told 27-year-old Yasser Khokhar: "You were in a position of authority and it was your job to make sure other members of staff were doing their jobs properly."

He said Khokhar had been the "gamekeeper" but he was the one who failed to act responsibly in a shop where a considerable amount of expensive stock was kept and where there were "larger than life transactions."

Howard Searle prosecuting said Khokhar worked in the Ernest Jones shop and had worked his way up into a managerial role after six years with the firm.

But he failed to enter the authorised code number when dealing with the sale of the expensive watches worth £35,740 to a woman customer, he told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

After his arrest by police, he told officers he did it to help meet the shop's target and get his two per cent commission on the sale. "It was greed that got the better of him," said Mr Searle.

He stressed to the court there was no evidence to suggest Khokhar was involved with the female customer who was still being hunted by police after using a false credit card on a number of occasions in the London area.

Khokhar of Alum Rock Road, Washwood Heath, Birmingham admitted fraud - an offence that had shattered his promising career, said Gerald Bermingham defending.

He said Khokhar had destroyed years of hard work with a few minutes of madness and added:"His career in this kind of occupation has gone forever."

Mr Bermingham said if the credit card used by the woman had been genuine Khokhar, a married father of one, would not have been facing the court.