Cockermouth firefighter jailed for stealing £50,000 of gear

Michael Todhunter was jailed for 16 months at Carlisle Crown Court

A fire crew manager who stole equipment worth thousands of pounds over an 18-year period has been jailed.

Michael Todhunter, 50, had been taking the gear, which included PPE, from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service to sell on eBay, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Police found a £50,000 stash of equipment in his Cockermouth garage when they raided it in October.

Todhunter, of Laureates Lane, was jailed for 16 months after admitting two charges of theft and one of fraud.

'Shocked'

The alarm was raised in May 2020 by a sales manager from the fire service's supplier who saw breathing equipment listed on the online auction site.

Telecoms data identified Todhunter, who had worked for the service since 1990, as the owner and seller of the account in question.

Items found in his garage included a fire hose, defibrillators, protective clothing and footwear, thermal image cameras, search lamps, radios, axes, shovels, a sat-nav and hand sanitiser.

"The amount shocked members of the police and fire service who were in attendance to identify the items," prosecutor Kim Whittlestone told the court.

"The eBay account of the defendant had been operating since 2002 and it is clear from the initial access to the site that items were being sold on a regular basis. The extent of what has been sold we are unable to say."

'Ashamed'

Group manager Stuart Hook said the effects of Todhunter's offending had been "far-reaching and are still ongoing".

There had been a significant financial cost to replace the stolen items while colleagues felt "let down" as Todhunter had "profiteered" while they struggled with a lack of PPE equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Going on to steal and sell vital equipment which would have been sourced to protect his colleagues was particularly disappointing," he said.

Sean Harkin, mitigating, said Todhunter was a man of good character who was first on the scene of the 2009 Cockermouth floods, and occupied a senior role in the aftermath of the Keswick school bus crash the following year.

"He is sorry for what he has done," Mr Harkin said, adding: "He is somebody who has lost everything. He is ashamed."