Former soldier stole booze worth thousands

A FORMER soldier working for courier DHL Express made unscheduled drop-offs of pallets of spirits worth a staggering £65,000.

Michael King, who served in the Falklands, Northern Ireland and Rwanda, was caught after the businesses which should have received the vodka and single malt whisky contacted the delivery firm, based on the Prologis business park in Coventry, to complain.

At Warwick Crown Court, the 41-year-old, of New Street in Rugby, pleaded guilty to stealing four pallets of alcohol in June and July last year and was jailed for nine months.

Divorcée King was said to have come to an arrangement with three people, who he would not name, to divert from his planned route when he was carrying large amount of spirits on the promise £2,500 for each pallet taken.

It took the decision after falling into debt when he signed what was described ‘an extortionate credit agreement’ to buy a £4,000 car which meant he now owed a credit company £13,000.

The court was told King in June drove to Storage World in Rugby where the other men unloaded two pallets of drink, each containing 120 cases, on each of three occasions.

The first two drop-offs were each of two pallets of Smirnoff vodka worth £11,000 each, while the third was two pallets of single malt whisky worth a total of £21,000.

But the thefts were quite easily detected because customers had already started to complain to DHL about not receiving their deliveries of vodka.

King was confronted by DHL's securing manager, who was an ex-policeman, and made a full confession, and when police raided the container at Storage World all the vodka had gone, but all but All but 24 cases of whisky were recovered.

Sean Logan, defending, said King never actually received his money from the men.

He added: "He is a man who is genuinely remorseful. He bitterly regrets his actions. He is now working self-employed, and is willing to offer £200 a month to his former employers."

Judge Marten Coates told King: "I’m sorry to see someone like you in this court, but you are here because you succumbed to temptation when you were in financial difficulty and there has to be an immediate sentence of imprisonment."