Nokia Siemens engineer convicted of refurbished router scam

Former employee of vendor given community order for flogging networking firm's wares online

An IT engineer was caught red-handed selling refurbished wireless routers stolen from employer Nokia Siemens on eBay.

Dewaldt Hermann, 33, from Swindon, stole the equipment just months after starting his job in 2010, according to a report in the Swindon Advertiser. The stolen routers – which were faulty and had been returned by customers – were valued at about £7,000, having originally cost about £28,000.

A colleague saw the items for sale after Hermann left his work computer logged on to the online auction site.

Hermann was struggling financially when he stole from his company after his wife had her hours cut at work, according to David Maunder, defending.

After seeing the disused routers in an office, assuming they were broken and to be disposed of, he refurbished them and sold them online.

Hermann, who has no previous convictions, walked free from Swindon Crown Court after pleading guilty to the theft charge. He has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service and pay £725 in costs.

Passing sentence, judge Euan Ambrose said: "The items that you stole had a variety of different fates.

"Some were repaired, refurbished and sold on eBay. In fact, your work had effect and they were sold at a greater value than they would have been worth. Some you still had in your garage.

"The total value was £7,067: that valuation reflects the fact that the items you stole were not new items that could be sold to consumers. They were non-working routers that had been returned to the company because they were not working."

The branch of the company Herman worked for has since folded and is not seeking to claim compensation.