A lorry driver who stole an inflatable hot tub, 14ft steel-framed swimming pool and garden furniture from a Powys retailer has avoided going to jail.

Anthony Lowe, 51, took 10 items of returned goods from customers in four months, with the haul worth more than £5,000.

The Newtown man, who appeared in court with a bag packed ready for prison, said it was “a very stupid thing and feels disgusted for doing it”.

READ MORE:

Welshpool Magistrates’ Court gave Lowe, who has no previous convictions, a two-year community order and ordered him to pay more than £1,000 in compensation after he pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft by an employee between May 1 and August 31, 2021.

The court heard that Lowe was employed at the time as a lorry driver for Station Couriers and took advantage of paperwork changes during the pandemic to keep the items and sell them on.

Most of the stolen items were recovered, the court was told, and ranged from a camouflage tarpaulin worth £33.98 to a £1,999.99 eight-seater garden dining set.

Helen Tench, prosecuting, said the offences were “clearly a breach of trust” and “not a one-off”. She added that the 51-year-old initially denied all knowledge of the thefts to police officers but then later admitted the offences saying he had financial constraints.

Owain Jones, defending, told the magistrates that the defendant is in “massive” debt and with the help of the probation service, it can be addressed.

“He realises the serious nature of this and has packed a bag ready,” Mr Jones said. “There is clear remorse, and his letter expresses that.

“Most, if not, all items were returned. The issue is these goods were defected from clients and destined for the rubbish skip that Charlies would not be sending back to the manufacturer in China. However, it’s still theft but there is that issue to contemplate.”

A pre-sentence report read out by probation officer Julian Davies said Lowe took the items from customers to keep at home.

“He should have done something about his debts a long time ago but has buried his head in the sand hoping it would go away.

“He said it was a very stupid thing and feels disgusted for doing it.”

Magistrates said the offences were “serious enough” to make a community order that will end in March 2024. Lowe, of Lon Derw, Newtown, was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work which was reduced from 300 hours because of his early guilty plea. He must also complete 15 rehabilitation days that aims to help him with debt management, emotional resilience, and consequential thinking.

Magistrates said that “due to the fact that there is insufficient or unsatisfactory proof”, they awarded Station Couriers £750 of their £1,186 claim for insurance costs, and £350 to Charlies, who sought £3,960.93 in compensation for not being able to resell the items.

Lowe must also pay £95 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

Helplines

Need debt advice? You are not alone. 

Get free and confidential help locally from Citizens Advice Powys by phoning 0345 6018421 or visiting www.powyscitizensadvice.org.uk.

You can also get debt and money advice online at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/