Willenhall warehouse workers who stole £30k cigarettes avoid immediate jail terms
Two men who stole more than £30,000 worth of cigarettes from the warehouse where they worked have avoided being jailed.
Aaron Fraser and Kyle Baker stole the cigarettes from AF Blakemore wholesalers in Willenhall, by loading them onto trolleys and stuffing them into their cars.
But the pair were quickly rumbled when a stock take revealed large amounts of cigarettes were missing. Bosses scoured CCTV and saw both men taking the goods on two occasions in December 2013 and January 2014. The two also texted each other about cigarettes they had in their possession and discussed the best way to sell them on.
Police found a message on Fraser's phone saying he had sleeves of cigarettes in the boot of his car.
Fraser, aged 32, of Birmingham Street, Willenhall, and Baker, aged 24, of Richmond Road, Sedgley, were handed suspended prison sentences at Wolverhampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiring to steal from an employer.
The court heard on Friday that suspicion fell upon Fraser after bosses learned that stock was missing from the warehouse.
Mr Philip Brunt, prosecuting, said: "He accepted he had taken cigarettes but said it was because he had been threatened."
CCTV footage showed Baker slipping packets of cigarettes in between cardboard which he pretended to be clearing from the warehouse.
Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending Baker, said their plan was 'not particularly sophisticated'. Mr Stephen Cadwaladr, defending Fraser, said: "He showed no guile, he was clocked on CCTV every time." He added: "He was of impeccably good character. He's got a family, got children and got a mortgage."
Fraser admitted taking cigarettes to the value of £27,000, while Baker pleaded guilty to stealing cigarettes worth £5,000 and £6,000.
The court heard it was possible other people had been involved in the plot as around £15,000 worth of missing cigarettes were still unaccounted for but only Fraser and Baker had admitted taking the goods.
Recorder David Mason said he hoped the men's future bosses were aware of what they had done as they both now had a history of 'breaching the trust' of their employer.
Fraser was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, while Baker was handed a six-month sentence, also suspended for two years.
