Worker who stole £1m of car parts from Milton Keynes firm jailed

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Konrad Labinski "abused the trust" of the company he had worked at for 20 years, police said

A man who stole at least £1m worth of car parts from his employer has been jailed for two years.

A parts distribution centre in Milton Keynes noticed a large amount of stock was going missing and linked it to an eBay account.

It was traced to employee Konrad Labinski, 42, who was caught in the act of stealing more goods and arrested at work.

He pleaded guilty to theft by employee after police found more than 1,000 car parts at his home in Padstowe Avenue.

'Trove' of stolen property

Thames Valley Police said the estimated value of the recovered parts was about £1m, and they were all returned to the company.

It is believed that the parts were stolen over a two-year period.

In a police interview, Labinski refused to make any comment.

Det Con Vince Higgins of Milton Keynes CID, said it was "a very fast-moving investigation".

"Labinski was arrested in a way to secure further evidence and we then found a trove of stolen property at his home address.

"The fact that he was immediately remanded shows how seriously the courts take this type of offence."

Det Con Higgins said Labinski had worked for the company for over 20 years and "he abused the trust that was given to him to steal from them".

"He has gone from having a well-paid job with lots of company perks, to being unemployed, losing his job and company car and being placed in prison.

"I hope this sends out the message to him and others that the consequences of this type of offence can be huge and have life-changing consequences," he added.

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