Man stole 18 TVs from Dreams bed store depot to sell on

Jonathan Hall, aged 38, worked at Dreams PLC on Hallens Drive, Wednesbury, when he took the televisions between March and July 2016.

After Hall pleaded guilty to one count of theft by employee at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court on July 4, he was sentenced this week in relation to the theft of television sets worth £9,000, which he sold to Cash Converters for £1,500.

The court heard that Hall, of Smiths Place, Great Bridge, Tipton, believed the TVs were to be thrown away, however prosecutor Mrs Val Hart said that the company claim that was not the case.

Mrs Hart said: “The business had been seeing a lot of items taken in the months before the TVs were taken.

“They had made inquiries and discovered that some items were being taken from vans as they left the depot.”

In court, Hall said he was told he could take the TVs and sold them on with the intention of keeping the money for himself.

Defending himself, he said: “I worked in recycling and it was my job to move items around the warehouse.

“I put the televisions to one side and took them for myself with the permission of my supervisor. As far as I knew they were ready to be scrapped.

“They were still working but when things have scratches, bumps or damage to them they are often thrown out or scrapped. We were literally going to chuck these things.”

Hall was also charged with assault by beating in relation to an altercation with his ex-partner on June 17 and criminal damage the following day relating to a letter box lid belonging to his ex-partner.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was given a 12-month community order, including a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 120 hours’ unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay an £85 surcharge, £185 in costs, £100 compensation to his ex-partner and £1,000 compensation to Dreams PLC by Judge Michael Wheeler.

As well as this, he was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting his ex-partner for 12 months.