G4S £970k theft driver had 'JD Sports spending spree'

A total of £970,000 was taken from the van (file photo) in south-west London

A G4S driver spent £1,400 on sportswear and trainers in JD Sports the day after stealing almost £1m from one of the firm's vans, a court heard.

Joel March, 36, abandoned the van in Clapham, south London, and fled with the deposit boxes on 23 April.

He was arrested in Brixton the next day but Inner London Crown Court heard £880,000 remains missing, which he could face further charges for.

March, of Rectory Grove in Clapham, will be sentenced on 26 July.

He admitted theft by an employee at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court last month, with the charge stating he stole £970,000 from G4S.

At the time it was reported that the blue armoured van sat on a double yellow line on Larkhall Rise for eight hours before police were alerted.

Prosecutor Alex Agbamu told the court: "The total amount is around the £900,000 mark - £880,000 is still missing and unaccounted for."

Michael Hillman, defending March, asked for the case to be adjourned ahead of sentence to allow for psychiatric and pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

He said March only had one previous conviction for which he received a £40 fine and had been sectioned on three occasions.

"There's no explanation for why he's done what he's done - psychiatric reports might provide some background on some relevant matter," Mr Hillman said.

Following the theft, G4S said there had been no "material" financial impact on its business.

A G4S spokeswoman said: "These incidents are extremely rare in our UK cash business and we are working closely with the Metropolitan Police to resolve the matter."