EMBITTERED Westinghouse Rail Systems worker James Hooke, who lost his job at Christmas, stole £3,000 worth of copper coils from the firm, a court heard.

Hooke, 27, of Rowden Hill, Chippenham, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and four of obtaining property by deception between January and February this year.

Chippenham magistrates were told on Monday that Hooke returned to his former place of employment and stole the coils in batches of three and four, on four separate occasions.

Becky Abbot, prosecuting, said Hooke was made redundant from Westinghouse in Chippenham last Christmas, which left him in debt.

She said Hooke sold the coils on to a scrap metal merchant for cash.

But on the last occasion he visited the factory, on February 20, a security guard spotted Hooke and as a result, he was arrested on March 11, on suspicion of theft.

Ms Abbot said in an interview with police, Hooke admitted taking the copper coils and receiving £304.13 in exchange for them.

He told police he took the coils because he had been made redundant.

Andrew Eddy, defending, said Hooke did not get on well with his Westinghouse foreman and there was a degree of ill-feeling between them.

The court also heard that Hooke was made redundant, while other people who had joined the company after him, were kept on.

Mr Eddy said: "This seemed to be a little discriminatory to my client."

The defence claimed there was nothing sophisticated about the crimes, and that Hooke took issue with the value of the coils, which Westinghouse claimed were worth £3,000.

Mr Eddy said his client believed them to be nearer the £314 he sold them to the scrap metal dealer for.

Mr Eddy also revealed that Hooke was a former heroin user, but said he had remained drug-free for more than a year.

"He committed the offence because in a way he felt aggrieved by the company for making him redundant," Mr Eddy said.

"My client was simply trying to repay his debts because of his loss of employment."

The court heard that Hooke is now in full-time employment, working at night for a motorway works company and is turning his life around.

Mr Eddy said Hooke has also just been awarded custody of his young daughter and makes a point of seeing her during the day.

The court heard that when Hooke was not around his mother took care of his daughter.

Hooke was given an 18-month community rehabilitation order and told to attend all groups the probation officer saw fit and he was told his existing 18- month conditional discharge would continue.

Passing sentence, chief magistrate Peter Mellett said: "If you get in any more trouble in the next 18 months then a tonne of bricks will fall on your head."

Hooke was also ordered to pay £304.13 compensation for the theft of the coils and make a contribution towards costs.

Westinghouse Rail Systems refused to comment on the case.

l The company recently won an £850million contract to carry out work on London Underground.

The 15-year deal, thought to be the largest signalling contract ever, is part of the new public/private partnership scheme for the maintenance and renewal of the London Underground infrastructure.

The Chippenham site will be taking on 200 new employees to work on the contract, over the next three years.

The company is a world leader in railway automation and control and employs 1390 people.

Eight hundred of those work at the Chippenham site on Langley Park.