Suspended sentence for camera nicking record boss

A record label director who stole more than £13,000 worth of cameras from his boss has been spared jail.

Kim St Martin, 34, pilfered the cameras from Real Nois record label head Reza Kharaghan’s home to pay off debts for shoddy work he had done in the past.

The self-employed web designer admitted taking the high-end goods in a ‘foolish mistake’ to pay off clients who weren’t happy with the job he had done for them.

He stole the camera equipment – worth a total of £13,410 – from Mr Kharaghan’s house while working there on his boss’s Real Nois record label from March last year.

Gregor McKinley, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim of the offences had a collection of camera equipment – some of these were high-end cameras.

‘Over time it was noticed that some of those cameras had gone missing and this was eventually reported to the police.

‘Because the defendant worked in a home office, as it were, in the complainant’s residential address he then had access to the camera collection.’

Southwark Crown Court heard how most of the equipment was not actually in plain sight and that Mr Kharaghan only found out exact what had disappeared following an inventory check.

St Martin was found to have sold the cameras on and only one camera – sold on July 10 at Classic Camera Shop – has been recovered.

When confronted about the cameras St Martin admitted to his boss what he had done and admitted his offences in full when voluntarily attending a police station.

‘He also said that he was being threatened in relation to debts he had built up before he began that employment,’ Mr McKinley added.

Ferdinand Achom, for St Martin, explained that his client had been ‘very very candid’ about the reasons why he stole the cameras.

Mr Achom explained: ‘It seems that he and a former partner had provided some services to a customer who was not happy with the services they received.

‘The defendant very foolishly and very stupidly decided to take camera equipment from his then current employer in the hope of selling them on in order to refund that money that was owed.’

St Martin’s actions were described as a ‘foolish mistake’ which led to him being fired, Mr Achom explained.

‘There is a clear sense of shame that he has brought on himself and the family.’

The judge, Mr Recorder Mr Jeremy Benson QC, sentencing, decided to suspend an eight-month prison term at Southwark Crown Court because of his good character and remorse.

‘There is a gross breach of trust in that this man, the complainant, allowed you to work at his premises and you took advantage of that and stole his camera equipment,’ the judge said.

‘My starting point is 12 months imprisonment but as a result of your admissions in interview and your early plea of guilty and your clear show of remorse I deduct a third from 12 months to make eight months imprisonment and also, in all the circumstances, I can suspend it.

‘I make no order for compensation but the victim can sue civilly for the value of that.’

St Martin, of Purves Road, Kensal Green, admitted one count of theft by employee and one of fraud.

He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as well as paying £250 in costs to the prosecution.
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