Dad-of-eight stole £30K worth of PPE from employer and flogged it on eBay in coronavirus lockdown
A DAD-OF-EIGHT stole £30,000 worth of PPE from his employers and flogged it on eBay during the coronavirus lockdown.
Gary Edwards, from Wirral, had been a trusted worker at Supa Safety, a company that supplied PPE to pharmaceutical companies and construction firms.
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Liverpool Crown Court heard he had been fleecing his employer for years as he nicked stock to sell online.
It was only during skyrocketing demand due the coronavirus pandemic that his scheme was rumbled, reports the .
He had stolen stock for sale right up until his arrest on May 1 - including PPE desperately needed by medics fighting Covid-19.
Edwards said he spent his profits feeding his seven step-children and his own daughter while also decorating the family home.
He also confessed to splashing the cash on VIP trips to professional darts tournaments with his girlfriend.
The court heard the 40-year-old worked at the PPE business in Croft Business Park - starting off as a driver before being promoted to sales rep.
He was given a pay rise, a new suit because he claimed he couldn't afford one, and a company car worth £30,000.
The crook decided to repay the company by stealing from them as he was "unofficially" made office manager in June 2018.
He would manage a £50,000-a-month order, which later fell to £25,000.
Edwards then continued to order more stock than needed after the change and started selling what he could on eBay.
His boss Amanda Maitra became suspicious in December, 2018, as it was noticed items were going missing.
The company also believed he had concealed a purchased of ear muffs in an order - but could not be sure.
More stock continued to disappear, and finally Edwards was exposed amid rising demand due to the coronavirus.
Staff alerted Ms Maitra to an eBay account called Safety Hands 18_8 that was selling similar stock.
She turned detective and asked a friend to buy some gloves - only to then find Edwards name appearing on the order.
Her husband rang the thief while he was on holiday and revealed they had sussed out his scheme.
Edwards apologised, returned some stock and paid £1,500 back to the firm.
But he still had stock at home and continued to attempt to flog it using a second eBay account until his arrest May 1.
Ms Maitra said Edwards "systematically" stole from her firm over two and a half years and she had to use her own money and credit to support her business.
She told the court that her firm became inundated with calls from NHS workers as people were "crying out for PPE".
But she couldn't donate the supplies as they had been stolen.
The businesswoman had hoped to donate ST70 suits, but it turned out Edwards had stolen 38 of them and was selling them at five times what they were worth online.
Some doctors had been forced to buy their own equipment amid chronic shortages of PPE worldwide.
Edwards admitted theft by employee and said he last stole in January, and made his final sale on March 11.
Judge Flewitt said: "You are and have been for a very long period of time fundamentally dishonest."
He added: "Many people in the wider circle of society may already have suffered - one can never know - as a result of your offending".
Edwards was jailed for two years and four months.
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Detective Inspector Paul Parry said: “Acting on intelligence we received we seized a large quantity of PPE.
“Theft from an employer at any time would be considered deplorable but I think in the current climate the public are acutely aware of the importance of personal protective equipment getting to the people who need it most.
“I hope that Edwards will use the time behind bars to reflect on his actions.”