Warner Bros Studio employee admits £36,935 theft of Harry Potter goods

JK Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy novels have millions of fans worldwide

A former Warner Bros Studio employee who stole £36,935 worth of Harry Potter merchandise to sell on eBay has been given a suspended sentence.

Adam Hill, 35, of Cedar Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, stole Harry Potter items to order from the Warner Bros Studio in Leavesden in Hertfordshire.

At St Albans Crown Court, Hill pleaded guilty to theft by employee.

He was sentenced to 14 months in prison suspended for 18 months and 250 hours of unpaid work.

The success of the Harry Potter novels has led to blockbuster films and a West End play

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the items, stolen between December 2017 and March 2018, included wands, ties, badges and key rings,.

Hill, who at the time of his arrest lived in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, advertised the stolen merchandise on his personal eBay account, posting it to buyers from a local post office, then later using his company's franking machine to send it from his work post room.

The thefts were discovered in March 2018 after colleagues noticed Harry Potter stock appearing and disappearing from under Hill's desk, and reported him to their bosses.

Hill had sold 1,040 items of Harry Potter merchandise through his eBay account

In the internal investigation that followed, they found that Hill had sold 1,040 items of Harry Potter merchandise through his eBay account.

When Hill's car was searched, they found 12 parcels of Harry Potter items ready to be posted that matched sales he had made on eBay.

Officers from Hertfordshire police searched Hill's home in St Neots, where they seized Harry Potter ties, badges and key rings as well as more envelopes and packaging.

When Hill's car was searched, they found 12 parcels of Harry Potter items ready to be posted that matched sales he had made on eBay

Jan Muller, of the CPS, said: "In a significant breach of trust, Adam Hill had the audacity to steal thousands of pounds of merchandise from Warner Bros in plain sight of his work colleagues; but they reported him after growing suspicious of the items constantly piling up under his desk.

"Subsequent scrutiny of Hill's eBay and PayPal accounts revealed orders and payments received for goods which were found packaged up ready to send to buyers, giving him no option but to admit to his crimes."