A GANG of rogue employees who stole £155,000 of their firm’s products in a major fraud have been jailed.

Yesterday members of the ‘corrupt’ group were sent to prison for a total of six years after being told they had put lives at risk.

They defrauded Protec PCL, a Nelson firm which makes fire alarm and detection equipment, stealing products worth £155,000 and approached firms that thought they were getting genuine new systems.

But what they received instead was equipment that was second hand and sometimes salvaged from sites and installed as new.

The gang, including four employees of Protect, passed of fake commissioning certificates which claimed to meet mandatory safety requirements.

Burnley Crown Court was told their work could have put lives at risk at ‘high risk’ premises, such as student halls.

After the case Detective Inspector Dave Groombridge said: “The most concerning aspect of this case is that there was sub-standard installation of second hand equipment in high fire risk student accommodation, resulting in remedial works having to be undertaken by the building owners to ensure their safety.

“I hope this sentence demonstrates that the police will do everything within their power to detect fraud and support local businesses.”

After the hearing, Barrie Russell, managing director of Protec, which employs 700 people in the UK, 100 in Holland and has been in existence 43 years, said the sentences on the defendants, who he described as ‘bad eggs’, were satisfactory.

He said: “All our other employees are fantastic people, who have made the company successful.

“They are loyal, honest employees and I wouldn't want their reputation to be tarnished by those five."

"Whatever has happened, none of our clients have been affected."

The hearing was told the main man in the plot was Simon Tipping, 45, an electrical engineer and Protec subcontractor, was out for maximum profit.

He often dishonestly got work by rewarding ‘trusted’ Protec Contract Managers, Jonathan Petrie, 46, and Robert Robertson, 58, with back handers of money or free holidays.

Robertson had £2,500 worth of family breaks paid for by Tipping's company.

The hearing was told Petrie, who had worked at Protec 18 years, was said to have played a vital central role in the fraud.

Protec workers John Fairbairn, 58, and Darren Scholes, 31, who had been employed there since he was 18, were also involved and all defendants played important parts.

The scam came to light by chance, after a stolen unit installed by Tipping started to malfunction and investigations started.

Tipping, of Brownedge Road, Bamber Bridge, Scholes, of Blandford Drive, Manchester, Fairbairn,of Holly Crescent, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, Roberston, of Burnsall Close, Burnley, and Petrie, of Hill Crescent, Heywood, had admitted conspiracy to defraud, between April 1, 2005 and August 31, 2008.

None had previous convictions and a proceeds of crime hearing will be held.

Tipping was jailed for three years, Petrie for two years and Scholes for 12 months.

Sentencing, Judge Beverley Lunt told Tipping: “You are at the heart of it. The others are all here because you have corrupted them either directly or through Petrie."

Judge Lunt told the jailed three :"All three of you were driven by greed. All three of you must now take the consequences."

Fairbairn got 24 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, with 80 hours unpaid work. Robertson received a 12 month community order with 80 hours unpaid work.

Protect, which has its headquarters at Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, designs, manufactures and installs fire detection equipment, fire protection equipment, security systems, emergency lighting and audio systems.

The company has provided equipment in Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.