Kailis Mason Bellanger: Denmark man who undercharged dozens of IGA customers handed fine and spent conviction

A Denmark man who illegally discounted items for customers at the Denmark IGA for almost a year, claiming he wanted to help strangers during a cost-of-living crisis, has been handed a fine. Kailis Mason Bellanger, 23, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday and was sentenced on charges of gains benefit by fraud and stealing as a servant, both related to his time as a checkout operator at the Denmark IGA Fine Food Market. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker said while Bellanger was employed as a checkout operator at the supermarket, between October 17, 2024 and June 16, 2025, he heavily discounted items for multiple people at the till, sometimes reducing the cost of an item down to one or two cents. The discounts ranged from one cent to seven dollars, and he was also charged with stealing as a servant when he scanned a can of energy drink for a customer he knew and cancelled the transaction, letting them leave with the drink for free. Sgt Walker said the supermarket could not confirm the total value of the produce Bellanger had stolen from the store with this method because of the extended period of time the offending was conducted over. Legal Aid lawyer Eva Svanberg said Bellanger did not know the people he was discounting items for, and felt sorry for them having to pay high prices for essential groceries during a cost-of-living crisis. She said his intentions were not malicious and he was only continuing to engage in the dishonest behaviour to help people out. Ms Svanberg applied for a spent conviction on Bellanger’s behalf, but Sgt Walker argued that dishonesty offences should stay visible on his record as a courtesy to future employers. Magistrate Rosemarie Myers said Bellanger should have been aware that ironically, his actions could have forced the store to increase prices and make things worse for customers. Bellanger was fined $750 and Ms Myers granted a spent conviction.