Cleaner fined for having stolen hospital IT kit
BBCA cleaner has been fined after hospital equipment was found at his home.
Elija Durnberger lost his employment with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) when his offending came to light last July.
Workington Magistrates' Court heard police were called after a laptop and other electronic equipment went missing from premises he had access to as part of his cleaning job.
The 31-year-old of Whitehaven admitted handling stolen goods and was ordered to pay a £613 fine, a £245 surcharge to fund victim services and £85 court costs.
During a search of his home officers also found an Iphone 12 Mini and paper towels taken from work, the court heard.
The trust runs the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, as well as smaller community hospitals in north and west Cumbria.
Peter Kelly, prosecuting, said Durnberger, of Pipers Court, had worked for the trust for about eight months and all items had been returned, however an itemised list of the objects' value was not available.
Mike Woolaghan, defending, said the electrical equipment was second hand, with the phone and laptop worth "a couple of hundred pounds" each and other items such as a mouse and paper towels being of "negligible" value.
"The items were taken for his personal gain, there's no suggestion they were taken for onward sale," Woolaghan said.
He also said while there was an "element of trust" in the employment relationship, Durnberger was not a key holder of any premises.
