*NEWS*UK:COPIER REPAIRMAN STEALS 230 CTGS

Toner News Mobile Forums Latest Industry News *NEWS*UK:COPIER REPAIRMAN STEALS 230 CTGS

Date: Wednesday November 28, 2007 12:09:00 pm
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    Photocopier fixer stole 230 toner cartridges
    A PHOTOCOPY maintenance man who stole office supplies worth £32,000 from work has been spared jail.
    Dad-of-three
    Steven Cairns stole 230 toner cartridges in just three months from Ikon
    Office Solutions, which maintained photocopiers at BAE’s Barrow
    site.The 40-year-old from Barrow then sold the cartridges on internet
    auction site Ebay, despite experiencing no financial difficulties at
    the time, Barrow Crown Court heard.Cairns then ploughed his gains into
    luxury items like jewellery, which he then sold on.The total value of
    the stolen cartridges was £17,145, with a retail value of
    £32,000.Cairns, whose address cannot be revealed for legal reasons,
    began working for Ikon in June 2005 but was suspended once the company
    began to investigate him.Mr Wayne Goldstein, prosecuting, said: “From
    about April this year there appeared to be an increase in the amount of
    toner used.“A colleague searched Ebay to see if there was any
    explanation and his attention was drawn to one particular account
    located in this area.“The history of items sold through the account
    closely matched the missing equipment.”

    On August 23, Cairns was
    arrested after being monitored by the Ebay fraud team.At first Cairns
    told cops he knew nothing of the thefts, brazenly claiming he had no
    access to Ebay.As the net closed on him, Cairns destroyed his computer
    in a bid to hide evidence of his Ebay transactions.Mr Brian Williams,
    defending, said: “This is a hard-working man who has never claimed
    benefits.“He behaved as a complete and utter fool but it will be
    difficult for his family if he is sent immediately to custody.”In
    passing a 12-month prison sentence on Cairns, suspended for two years,
    Judge Beverley Lunt told him: “You committed these thefts from your
    employer out of greed but were not driven to it by financial need.“You
    may have behaved like a complete and utter fool, but more accurately
    you behaved like a complete and utter criminal.“You have come as close
    to immediate custody as is possible.”The judge also ordered Cairns to
    complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.A further hearing
    will take place next year to establish how much Cairns profited from
    the venture.

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