AN EVESHAM man has been found guilty of stealing antique fireplaces when he was employed at an estate agents in Worcester.

His boss Worcester estate agent Nigel Parker, who also stood trial at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, was cleared of stealing the fireplaces from a listed building which once housed Kays catalogue firm.

But his barrister revealed that he could be sued for £180,000 - the amount knocked off the sale price of the premises - to take account of the missing period features.

Ian Tannock, of Market Place, the former employee Mr Parker left in charge of a clearance operation at the building in The Tything, was found guilty of theft by a 10-2 majority verdict.

Mr Parker, the 42-year-old boss of Parkers in Foregate Street, told Worcester Crown Court he was "devastated" when a security chief from Reality, which took over Kays, informed him of the thefts in December 2002. Parker had won a contract to clear the buildings of furniture and catering equipment. Mr Parker, of Chapel Lane, Cradley, near Malvern, wanted to equip a new office planned for Kidderminster and saw Reality as a valuable client for future business deals.

But 26-year-old Tannock contacted Tradesales of Malvern to find a buyer for the fireplaces and was given £2,100 by the firm's boss Kevin Dudas in payment, said prosecutor Michael Conry.

Tannock, who had a police record, was found guilty of stealing 15 fire surrounds, stone and timber flooring and a staircase. He left Parkers before the thefts were discovered because he was unable to get on with female staff.

Recorder Phillip Parker granted Tannock bail while a pre-sentence report is prepared. He is now the owner of a pub in Evesham.

Mr Parker, who was unanimously cleared of a similar charge, told the court he had a turnover of over £1 million and would never have sullied his reputation with crime. His lawyer Peter Arnold said because he was ultimately in charge of the clearance, he still faced being sued for the loss of the 18th-century features. The buildings were sold to local developer Neil Grinnall at a reduced price.

Tim Sapwell, for Tannock, had argued that he knew there was no way he could have got away with a dishonest venture and would not have compromised his wife's fleet manager job with Reality. But the jury heard that Tannock put forward a false alibi to cover up a pub meeting with Mr Dudas, only to withdraw it after claiming a mix-up over dates.

The prosecutor said greedy Tannock wanted money for "anything he could lay his hands on". He was a Liverpudlian who came to Worcester in 2000 and got Parkers involved in the clearance after hearing about the sale plan from his wife.