A former Royal Mail employee has pleaded guilty to stealing 23 packages containing sportswear from the Gloucester depot of Parcelforce Worldwide and will be sentenced next month.

Alan Orzechowski, 26, a Polish national, of Clement Street, Gloucester, was warned by the presiding judge at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on Wednesday (September 29) that he faces a custodial sentence because of the breach of public trust in the postal system.

Prosecutor Jeremy Oliver said: "Orzechowski worked for Parcel Force as a loader, having started his employment with the company on March 2, this year. On August 18 his manager saw him acting suspiciously.

"She saw him fiddling with his rucksack in the loading bay in contravention of the company's rule prohibiting staff from having their own property in this area to prevent theft.

"The manager seized Orzechowski's bag and found inside it three pairs of new Adidas trainers. He admitted stealing these items. The police were called, and a search was carried out at his home address.

"A further 19 items were located and seized. During his first interview Orzechowski admitted the theft of the trainers in his rucksack but stated the other sportswear items found in his property were his, having purchased them but he could not provide receipts for them.

"The police also seized his phone and downloaded the messages and had them translated which revealed Orzechowski was effectively stealing items to order and selling them for profit.

"Orzechowski was offering sportswear for sale to family and friends. He also stated that he could only get certain brands depending on which bay he was working at on any particular day.

"Some of the conversations reveal that he almost got caught stealing the items.

"During a second interview Orzechowski admitted that the 19 items had also been stolen from his workplace. This was a breach of trust. These items were branded goods which command a high retail price.

"The theft of mail is taken very seriously by the courts. Case law suggests that in general postal workers breaching trust by stealing items in the postal system should be punished with a custodial sentence.

The stolen items recovered from Orzechowski's home included a grey Adidas jacket, three pairs of Navy blue Reebox leggings, four pairs of black Adidas shorts, a white Adidas jacket a pair of black Adidas joggers, Black Adidas swimming costume, pink Adidas hoody and a pink Adidas swimming costume, a black Adidas cropped hoody, a pair of lime green Tommy Hillfiger shorts, a Reebok swimming costume, a black Calvin Klein sweat short, a pair of Adidas trainers, two specialist sports bras and one pair of Adidas leggings.

Vanessa Pople, defending, explained that Orzechowski was having financial problems in trying to support his family and added: "The items stolen were predominately for him and his wider family members and not for general resale."

Orzechowski pleaded guilty to theft by employee on August 18, 2020 by stealing two adult pairs of Adidas trainers two pairs of children's Adidas trainers, a Calvin Klein bra, all belonging to the Royal Mail Group. He also admitted that between March 2, 2020, and August 19, 2020, he stole 19 items of sportswear including jackets, swimming costumes, trainers and designer sweat shirts, all belonging to the Royal Mail Group.

Presiding justice Kathryn Bailey told Orzechowski: "A pre-sentence report is needed before we can pass judgement on this case. We are mindful that this is a breach of trust by an employee and it's about public perception in having trust in the postal system.

"We are not ruling out a custodial sentence and therefore we will have to adjourn this hearing for a report to be carried out on you."

Orzechowski was released on unconditional bail to appear at the court on November 10.