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Train cleaner stole lost property from trains over nine years

A train cleaner stole tens of items of lost property over nine years, a court has heard.

Keith Newcombe collected items including 42 phone chargers and a large number of umbrellas.

He was employed by a company contracted to clean First Great Western trains as they arrived at Swansea train station.

His own solicitor admitted the items he had stolen were of little or no use to him.

Grayson Tanner, for Newcombe, said: ^There^s only so many umbrellas that any one person can use at a time and the phone chargers were next to useless to him.^

Newcombe, aged 65, of High Street, admitted he had a duty to hand in items of lost property to either his supervisor or the lost property department.

After a tip-off to his employers, his locker and home were searched and the items were discovered. He then admitted theft by employee between November 2004 and October 2013.

Prosecutor Linda Baker described the thefts as ^a breach of trust^.

Mr Tanner told Swansea Magistrates^ Court that Newcombe had tried to give some of the items to the lost property office but said they had not been interested because of their low value. He said he had previously handed in a number of items, including a laptop and a ^6,000 watch.

^He didn^t keep items of that nature,^ said Mr Tanner. ^There doesn^t seem to be any logical reason why these items were not handed in to the correct party,^ he said.

^It^s not the usual case that the courts deal with,^ he said. ^I can say with absolute certainty you won^t see him back before these courts on any other occasion,^ said Mr Tanner.

Newcombe, who has resigned from his job since the offence was discovered, was fined ^75, told him to pay ^85 in costs and a ^20 victim surcharge.