A MAN who weighed in almost half a million pounds worth of electric cable, stolen from his employer, has been jailed for 21 months.

Royston Bruce, 46, used his position as a driver for HSL Group Ltd in Blackburn to take the stolen metal to the recycling plant where he traded it in for cash.

Following his arrest in August 2014, Bruce, of Ivy Street, Burnley, told police he thought it was ‘a victimless crime’ and was shocked to discover the value of the cable he had weighed in for scrap.

Preston Crown Court heard £30,000 had passed through Bruce’s account with European Metal Recycling (EMR) Blackburn – which the defendant split six ways with other men.

The court heard Bruce was the driver of a 17 ton truck for the company, based on the Greenfield Industrial Estate, Blackburn, when he was approached by another employee and asked if he wanted to make extra cash.

Between December 2012 and August 2014, Bruce weighed in a total of £476,000 of metal which had been stolen from his employer.

But in September 2014 his truck was searched and a receipt for 259kg of electric cabling was found, sparking an investigation.

Peter Barr, prosecuting, told the court much of the material which Bruce took to the scrap yard was electric cabling used in TV installation and music festivals.

Bruce pleaded guilty to theft from his employer and has since lost his job with the company.

A number of other employees were also investigated but no charges were brought against them.

He jailed Bruce for 21 months and ordered him to pay a £100 surcharge.