A TELECOMMUNICATIONS expert has got a new £50,000-a-year job with a company he stole from - because his skills are so rare.

Samuel Hurst, 24, of Cowgill Street, Earby, stole copper cables worth £5,000 while sub-contracted to BT because he had "cash flow problems".

Hurst appeared before Burnley magistrates and admitted attempted theft on June 2 and asked for three thefts to be considered.

The court was told Hurst's work was so specialised and so few people worked in his field that he now had a £50,000-a-year job at Fujitsu, one of the firms the court was told he stole from.

Magistrates heard that Hurst used his ID card and number to gain access to sites to steal.

Hurst, of Cowgill Street, Earby, was fined £300 and ordered to pay £450 compensation and £60 costs.

Sentencing, the bench told the defendant he was "an extremely lucky man".

Wendy Chappell, prosecuting, said Hurst worked for BT installing copper cables.

After cables went missing, the defendant was monitored entering various sites and followed.

Police and security officers went to his home and when his van was opened, cable was found in the back of it.

The defendant had tried to enter other premises at Burnley.

He couldn't get in but accepted if he had, he would have taken cable, the court was told.

Hurst accepted he had swiped his card to gain access to sites.

He said at the time he had not had legitimate access and had done it to solely to steal, the court was told.

The defendant told police he planned to scrap the copper to make some quick cash.

Hurst had taken piping worth £4,650 and £450 of it had not been recovered.

Dylan Bradshaw, defend-ing, said the offences occurred over about two weeks in May and June.

Hurst was a telecommun-ications network specialist and was one of only a handful of people in the UK doing this type of work, Mr Bradshaw said.

He had already found a new job and started work for Fujitsu in Scotland the day after the hearing.

Fujitsu bosses knew about his conviction and such was his specialism they were prepared to take him on and treat the offences as a one-off aberration, Mr Hurst said.

Mr Bradshaw said Hurst had cash flow problems.

The solicitor urged the court to treat the thefts as a "momentary loss of self control" when the defendant tried to make some money.