Watch - house stuffed full of duty free after man pinched £15,000 worth to flog on eBay

The man's home was described as 'unlivable' after an astonishing amount of stolen items were found

A man has been jailed after stealing alcohol and gift sets worth £15,000 from airlines - and stuffed them into his small home.

Eduard Caia, 28, was a warehouse cleaner for in-flight catering company Alpha LSG and managed to rack up £10,000 from online sales of stolen items.

Footage from inside Caia’s home in Hounslow shows boxes, alcohol and gift sets stacked and stashed in every crevice of the house.

Investigating officer PC Tom Blair described the home as ‘unlivable’ due to the astonishing amount of stolen products.

Caia was investigated after an employee spotted the branded kits being flogged on eBay.

Isleworth Crown Court heard how the security team at Alpha LSG emailed the seller pretending to be interested in the goods.

The team struck up a conversation with the seller and became confident that the thief was Caia.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police arrested Caia at the warehouse on 18 October 2017.

1,700 amenity kits worth £8,680 were stolen, along with 700 bottles and cans of alcohol worth more than £4,000.

Caia also pinched a stack of pyjamas and slippers worth £1,175 from the company.

A stash of £1,700 cash found in a bedroom drawer was also seized by officers.

Investigating officer, PC Tom Blair, of the Met’s Aviation Policing Command, said: “Caia was set to make more money selling all that was left in his house, but he didn’t count on the tight-knit relationship of the airlines, his own employers and the police.

“I really must applaud Alpha LSG who wasted no time in launching an internal investigation once they suspected a staff member of criminality.

“This case is evidence of how seriously this kind of crime is treated by businesses working at Heathrow Airport and the police.”

On Friday, 25 October, Caia pleaded guilty to one count of theft and one count of acquiring criminal property over the period 18 October 2016 to 18 October 2017.

He was sentenced on Thursday, 28 November to a total of 21 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Following the sentencing, officers will instigate proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act in relation to the £10,000 he made from selling the stolen goods.