SalfordOnline

by Tom Rodgers

A BT engineer who harvested cash from telephone kiosks is starting a 14-month jail sentence today, Tuesday 2nd June.

John Gleave, 55, from Gleaves Road, Eccles, stole over £100,000 from phone boxes across the North West, the highest amount ever stolen from BT by one employee.

Gleave's job as a grinder for BT was to open faulty cash boxes at telephone kiosks, inspect them and report the fault. If there was any money in the cash box, he was supposed to deposit it.

Gleave was placed under surveillance by BT when they noticed a higher than average number of thefts.

He was seen conducting the scam in Bury, Blackburn and Middlewich, going into telephone booths, grinding open the lock and taking out the cash box and replacing it with an empty container. He would then repair the lock, which had not been broken in the first place.

Gleave would then report that the nature of the fault was that it had been broken into and the cash box and contents had been stolen.

He was arrested in May 2007 and, when his home was searched, police found a coin counting machine and £615 in coins. He pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court to three charges of theft and one of money laundering.

Detective Constable Craig Wallace, of Bury CID, said: "Gleave used his skill and knowledge of the workings of the telephones for a dishonest purpose.

"This was a disgraceful enterprise which was not just a breach of trust for his employers, but also to the general public, who put trust in workers such as him.

"I believe it is the highest amount that anyone has ever stolen from BT in this way and he is now being punished for it."

Comment by Guest  3rd June 2009 Better make sure there are no Pay Phones in Prison....

Comment by Guest  3rd June 2009 Greed

Comment by Guest  3rd June 2009 100k!!!! unbelievable!!!

Comment by Guest  2nd June 2009 Has anyone got change of a £1.00.