An employee who stole £3,500 worth of electronic goods from his company to finance family debts has been handed a suspended sentence.

Ryan Muir stole items including sat navs while working at Halfords in Thetford and sold them on eBay.

The 36-year-old, of Lincoln Way in Thetford, appeared before magistrates in Bury St Edmunds yesterday and pleaded guilty to stealing ICT products worth £3,561.47 from his employer between December 20, 2015 and January 5, 2016.

Tess Mann, prosecuting, said Muir's theft was discovered after Halfords conducted an investigation into thefts by employees and saw the stolen items for sale on the online auction site.

Representing Muir, Claire Lockwood acknowledged the offence was a 'breach of trust'.

She said Muir was suffering from financial difficulties which stemmed from the serious illness of a family member and things at home had become 'very difficult'.

She added: 'He was in quite a dark place.'

Muir was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for a year, and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to repay the value of the stolen items.