Lukasz Kowalczyk stole from The Hut Group in Warrington

And his deception was noticed by a fellow worker who cleverly spotted his crimes.

Lukasz Kowalczyk, from Bolton, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday.

He was a night manager at The Hut Group, based on Skyline Drive in Burtonwood.

Kowalczyk’s activity was first noticed by an employee responsible for CCTV and monitoring and reporting suspicious activity.

Sometimes company items can not be located and high-risk products are kept securely.

Before they are moved to this section, items can be placed in an area of the warehouse not covered by the security system.

They can be moved without being located or knowing who moved them.

This employee noticed several items of cycling equipment missing. He reviewed the footage and saw a lot of suspicious behaviour from Kowalczyk, an employee of five years.

The employee observed the defendant taking boxes and putting them by his desk, going away and returning with a label for the box and the defendant manually loaded it onto the HGV.

On four occasions in July 2020, Kowalczyk, 40, placed orders for 5g boxes of oats on his personal account and changed the label to steal the items.

The employee looked for local sellers on eBay and found an account named ‘Kowal-Bolton’. On this page, he found cycling products from The Hut Group.

They included a cassette, several derailleurs and more.

Kowalczyk appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday

The employee conducted his own investigation and found that Kowalczyk, wasn’t paying for the items.

He was arrested in August 2020 at his home where officers found several items from The Hut Group including a water bottle, performance tape and sprockets.

The total value of the items inside his home came to more than £300 – and he didn’t buy any of them.

Between May 2020 and August 2020, Kowalczyk sold 118 items on his eBay page, items with the original value of £16,408.

Defending Kowalczyk, Olivia Beesley, said that her client hasn’t paid back anything as of yet but he is willing to repay what he can.

Kowalczyk made £12,000 from selling this cycling equipment and used that money to pay off debts.

Beesley explained that in 2019, he was involved in a road traffic accident as a cyclist where he went through a car window and to support his family of four, he had to borrow money from family and friends.

She said that he has also been hit hard financially by the pandemic.

Beesley described Kowalczyk as a ‘motivated individual’ who has worked lots of different jobs, and he is a man who wants to return to a member of society.

Beesley said how Kowalczyk has pleaded guilty and he has no other offences at 40.

She added how Kowalczyk understands the damage he has brought on the business, it is out of character for him and that his actions weigh heavily on him.

Beesley said: “His family started to fall down when he went through the car window.

“He is truly sorry for his actions and he does want to pay back the money.

“This is clearly a very sad case not only for the company but for him too.”

Judge Garrett Byrne said: “It was a position of considerable trust and you betrayed them.

“You left your job having stolen before you were to be dismissed.

“It was a breach of a high degree of trust.

“What is to your credit is that you are ashamed and deeply remorseful.”

The judge deemed there to be a low risk of Kowalczyk reoffending.

Kowalczyk was ordered to serve nine months in prison suspended for 18 months, complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and serve 60 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

The judge also told Kowalczyk he is to pay £10,000 compensation at a rate of £200 per month from March 1.

The judge added: “If you breach the order then I will have no option but to send you to prison.”