UK EMPLOYEE CAUGHT STEALING COMPUTERS FROM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS employee stole computers:
NHS employee stole computers
(Leicester Mercury Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) An NHS worker stole computer equipment from his bosses and sold it on eBay - using the health service's own courier to deliver them, a court heard.
Paolo Alves (28) was an IT administrator for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust when he took two laptops and a CD rewriter from his work.
Alves, of Hinks Avenue, Scraptoft, was sacked when bosses found out what he was up to, Leicester Magistrates Court heard.
John Kent, for the Department of Work and Pensions, said on August 17, 2005, Alves submitted a parcel to the courier delivery service to be sent to a Devon address. It was opened and contained a Toshiba laptop computer and carrying case.
When it was delivered, the customer was contacted and confirmed they bought the equipment on eBay for GBP135.13, plus GBP10 delivery charge.
Mr Kent said: "By the time the investigating officer caught up, the laptop had been sold on, so could not be recovered. It was not a brand-newcomputer ." Five days later, two packages were intercepted, one containing data tapes, the other giving Alves's mother as the sender. Both had been franked by the NHS machine, costing a total of GBP7.74.
Mr Kent said: "After this came to light, there was a full investigation of his eBay transactions and he was dismissed in December 2005." Further inquiries were made and a CD rewriter and Hewlett Packard laptop belonging to the NHS were found at Alves's home.
Mr Kent said when arrested, Alves refused to comment or talk about the nature of his employment, but later pleaded guilty to all charges.
Forge valuable relationships at The World's Only IP Communications Development Event. Communications Developer Conference is May 15-17, 2007 in Santa Clara.On Friday, he pleaded guilty to stealing the equipment between August 2002 and December 2005. He also admitted sending one of the laptops to a customer in Devon using the service's courier, costing GBP203.04, and sending two packages using the firm's franking machine.
Parminder Bassi, for Alves, said he deeply regretted his actions, which had cost him his job and affected his chances of future employment.
Mr Bassi said Alves had worked hard for the IT department, repairing computers and wiping hard-drives.
He said: "A lot of people, including contractors, used the laptops and took them away.
"A great deal of the equipment had very limited shelf-life - the laptop recovered from his home had last been used in August 2004 and the other items were of very low value - the CD rewriter was worth less than GBP20." Mr Bassi said Alves sold the items to help pay online gambling debts, GBP3,000 of which was still owing, but he had now beaten his addiction.
Alves was ordered to carry out 150 hours' unpaid work over 12 months and to pay GBP410.78 compensation and GBP600 costs.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment