Man guilty of theft from own firm

A man who held a senior job at a car accessory firm has pleaded guilty to stealing company property and posting it on the internet auction site, eBay.

Kevin Oliver, 56, was a technical director at Mountney Ltd in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Oliver, from Tarnside Close, Dunstable, admitted stealing car parts between August 2005 and October 2006.

He was given a 20-week suspended sentence and 200 hours community work at Luton Crown Court on Friday.

The father of two had worked for Mountney Ltd for 21 years but was sacked when the thefts came to light.

'Items worthless' claim

The court was told other company directors became suspicious when they saw their products on eBay.

They made a purchase and police traced the goods back to Oliver.

The prosecution at court said about £3,000 worth of stock, such as mirrors and steering wheels, had been taken.

Oliver claimed the items were rejects and worthless to the company.

In court Judge Barbara Mensah said: "You were in a respected position and it is clear you breached that trust for greedy selfish reasons.

"You have lost a great deal as a result and have let everyone down."