Worker stole sat nav cards worth £1,400

A former mechanic from Bilston stole more than £1,400 worth of sat nav memory cards from work and sold them on the internet.

Dhanesh Parekh took eight of the cards, worth £176 each, from Ford Motor Company LTD in Bilston.

He then sold them on ebay after losing out on a monthly bonus, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court was told. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft by an employee between July 2010 and March this year.

The 38-year old had worked for Ford for 10 years.

Prosecuting Mrs Maggie Meakin said yesterday an investigation was launched after Ford noticed several sat nav cards had gone missing.

The crime was discovered after the sold items were traced back to Parekh's ebay account.

She said: "The cards are inserted into sat navs which are installed in Ford motor vehicles and they are only sold by Ford.

"Officers attended his home where they found one of the cards and Mr Parekh gave a full and frank admission in interview. He said in summer 2010 he lost a monthly bonus of £100. He needed the money so he decided to steal the cards."

Mr Ravi Dev, defending, said Parekh had been "in a desperate state" financially after losing the bonus. "It was dishonest but he is very remorseful," he added.

The court also heard that Parekh, of Wellington Road, no longer works for Ford and is in the process of applying for benefits. He was ordered to pay back £1,232 in compensation and carry out 60 hours of unpaid work over 12 months. Magistrates chairman Geoff Hodgson told him: "It is a breach of trust and you will pay compensation."