A MOBILE phone store manager has been jailed after stealing hundreds of phones worth £185,000.

Michael Doyle, 44, was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after admitting taking phones from Carphone Warehouse in Blackburn.

Between January 2017 and July 2017, Doyle used a computer system to steal 345 phones from The Mall-based store.

Doyle, of Long Lane, Wigan, would electronically transfer the phones to other shops, but not send the stock on, instead taking the phones for his own gain.

Following an internal investigation, the losses were reported to police with Doyle arrested.

He was charged with theft and pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court.

Det Con Lee Richardson, of Blackburn CID, said: “Doyle, after 20 years of working with Carphone Warehouse, used his position to abuse the trust of his employers.

“He stole thousands of pounds worth of stock, fixing computer systems for his own gain.

“It was only because of the due diligence of the company loss prevention officer discovering the offences and reporting them to the police that prevented more phones being taken.”