Two Swindon men stole more than £9,000 worth of carpets from their employer whilst they were on furlough due to the pandemic, a court heard.
The duo even used the firm’s company van after securing entry to Pay Weekly Carpets on Isis Industrial Estate over a four day period in February this year.
Ian Baker, 40, and Paul Arnold, 45, pleaded guilty to joint charges of theft and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent at Swindon Magistrates’ Court today (7 September).
Crown prosecutor Kate Prince said the pair gained entry to the building, taken rolls of carpet and escaped with the stolen goods using the firm’s company van stored at the site.
A company boss found that one of the business’s vans were low on fuel. Confused by this, he checked the building’s CCTV and discovered his own workers committing the thefts.
Ms Prince said their crimes were a breach of trust as the men were employed by the firm, though on furlough.
The estimated loss to Pay Weekly Carpets is £9,512.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and both Baker, of Ramsbury Avenue, Penhill, and Arnold, of The Heights, Old Town, were released on unconditional bail to return in October.
