Officer jailed after selling police gear on eBay

A former police constable has been jailed for a year after stolen police equipment worth nearly £16,000 was found in his police van.

Ex-Kent Police Constable Paul Withrington, 35, from Maidstone, had been stealing combat trousers, torches, CDs and many other items for two years and selling them on an online auction site.

After noticing items going missing, Kent Police checked eBay after an LED torch was stolen. The force found the item listed on the website by a user named ‘Paul1981With’ from a Sittingbourne address.

The force found that the officer had also set up other accounts to help boost bids on a sale, which enabled him to make profits of nearly £6,000.

On Thursday (December 1), Canterbury Crown Court heard that Withrington was arrested on March 31 on suspicion of theft of police equipment and immediately confessed. He told officers he had no financial problems and no excuse for his behaviour.

Prior to his dismissal on June 3, he had served 11 years with Kent Police.

His lawyer, Caroline Harris told the court Withrington is “truly sorry” for his actions and is “concerned about the effect on his wife and young child.”