Expensive products stolen by sacked employee
A FORMER employee of a Clevedon water sports company stole thousands-of-pounds worth of products and sold them on eBay after being given the sack.
Lewis Day was given notice to leave his job with Palm Equipment International, a specialist in the supply of kayak and paddle equipment including wet and dry suits, in December.
However, before he left, he arranged for two packages, each containing six dry suits, to be sent to a friend’s address without paying for them.
In February, he then used a friend’s account for the online auction site, eBay, to sell the suits to unsuspecting bidders, raising a total of �3,189.
The owners of Palm Equipment International, which is based at Kenn Business Park, noticed the theft in March after someone spotted the products being sold on eBay.
After checking through stock and delivery notices, they discovered that two parcels had been sent to an address in Weston in December but payment had never been received.
The police were called and Day’s friend was arrested before it transpired that Day was actually the one who had stolen the suits.
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In police interview, the 32-year-old now of Westbourne Grove, Bedminster, admitted to stealing the 12 suits and selling them on eBay.
At North Somerset Courthouse on May 25, he said: “I apologise for what I have done. I apologise to the people at Palm.”
During the hearing, Day was handed a 12-month community order, which requires him to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay �2,023 in compensation and �85 in costs.
