A TRUSTED employee stole £29,000 of high value goods from the Worcester depot that had 'put food on his table for 16 years', forcing his mum and dad to cash in their life savings to bail him out.

Nicholas Taylor, who worked at Wolseley in Worcester, stole the items and sold them using his current partner's eBay account after his ex ran up credit card bills in his name, a court heard.

The 51-year-old had been employed as a team leader for the distribution centre at the Shire Business Park in Wainwright Road for 16 years before he was sacked after the thefts were identified via routine checks using a company software system.

His parents have offered their life savings to pay compensation to the company and Taylor, who confessed his crime, wrote a letter saying he was 'disgusted' with himself for what he had done.

The defendant also wished to express his 'sincerest apologies to my family and friends for the distress this has caused to them'.

The theft involved Taylor removing items, including drills and thermostats, and placing them in cardboard boxes in his car, later selling them using his partner's eBay account without her knowledge.

The 51-year-old of Bramble Close, Malvern, had already admitted theft by an employee between March 30, 2018 and July 21 last year when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court for sentence on Friday.

Wolseley UK, a FTSE 100 company, is described as the country’s largest plumbing, heating and cooling trade specialist merchant and distributes plumbing and heating products.

Chloe Ashley, prosecuting, said the total amount stolen was £28,919.57.

He was able to carry out the crime because he was responsible for overseeing goods coming into the distribution centre.

When the thefts were identified by the company Taylor was confronted by bosses and admitted he had been placing stock in cardboard boxes in his car.

He was described as being 'candid' about what had happened.

Taylor was summoned to a disciplinary meeting on August 16 last year and arrested on February 12 this year after the company reported matters to the police.

Taylor provided what the judge called 'a full and frank confession'.

In a letter, which was read out in court, the self-employed delivery driver, wrote: "What I did was a disgusting act and I feel thoroughly ashamed of myself and my actions throughout."

He added: "I thoroughly regret what I did and can promise nothing like this will ever happen again."

Michael Aspinall, defending, said: "His parents are willing to offer their life-savings of £10,000 so he can offer that as compensation."

The barrister said Taylor's partner worked as a dementia care nurse and that the defendant had provided support to her 15-year-old daughter who suffers from anxiety.

He said that Taylor was only two steps up from a basic employee and there were three such team leaders at the Worcester depot who all answered to a shift manager who answered in turn to an operations manager who was in turn responsible to a distribution manager.

However, he accepted that the theft had taken place over a long period of time but submitted there was 'very little planning'.

Mr Aspinall said Taylor felt a degree of responsibility for an ex-partner who had run up debts in his name and had recently lost her father and he had attempted to pay off those debts.

"There was no evidence he was living an extravagant life" said Mr Aspinall.

Recorder Charles Falk, sentencing, said the defendant had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and had shown some remorse, describing how 'sick' he felt when he was told of the loss he had caused to the company.

However, he also said there had been a danger that suspicion would fall on Taylor's colleagues and his partner, whose eBay account he used, and that they could have been implicated in his theft.

"This a breach of some degree of trust and responsibility. You had a team of 40 people under you. You were overseeing goods coming into the company" he said.

Recorder Falk said: "Your employer was entitled to trust you after 16 years of putting food on your table. This is how you paid them back."

The judge said because of this position he was able to assess weaknesses in the system, noticing that security had been more lax at weekends.

"You're coming before this court, realising your reputation is in tatters. It's a sufficient albatross around your neck that would prevent offending" said Recorder Falk.

He added: "Others would suffer if you received immediate custody."

The judge sentenced him to 10 months in prison suspended for 18 months. He ordered him to pay compensation of £10,000 which must be paid in full within three months.

He further ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. If a proceeds of crime application is to be drawn up the case can be brought back to court administratively by the prosecution.