Stamford man stole nearly £37,000 worth of Harry Potter merchandise from Warner Bros Studio Tour in Leavesden where he worked

An employee of the Harry Potter film studio tour who stole almost £37,000 worth of merchandise was caught after colleagues noticed the items piling up under his desk.

Adam Hill, of Cedar Road, Stamford, stole £36,935 worth of wands, ties, badges, key rings and other branded items from the Warner Bros Studio Tour stockroom, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The 36-year-old used eBay to advertise the memorabilia sold at The Making Of Harry Potter, a behind the scenes look at the making of the films.

Hill managed to sell 1,040 items, initially shipping them to buyers through the Post Office and later his work post room.

The thefts came to light after colleagues noticed the magically-themed items appearing and vanishing from Hill's desk and reported him to their bosses.

His car was searched and 12 additional parcels of merchandise ready to be posted to eBay buyers were found in it.

Hertfordshire Police searched Hill's St Neots, Cambridgeshire, home and seized Harry Potter ties, key rings and badges along with envelopes and packaging.

Jan Muller of the CPS said: "In a significant breach of trust, Adam Hill had the audacity to steal thousands of pounds of merchandise from Warner Bros in plain sight of his work colleagues; but they reported him after growing suspicious of the items constantly piling up under his desk.

"Subsequent scrutiny of Hill's eBay and PayPal accounts revealed orders and payments received for goods which were found packaged up ready to send to buyers, giving him no option but to admit to his crimes."

Hill admitted theft by employee and was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court today (Friday, January 3) to 14 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 250 hours unpaid work.