A HALE man has been jailed for 18 months after admitting stealing almost £6,000 from a man while working as a customs and exise officer at Manchester Airport.

Timothy Muskett, 57, snaffled the cash while investigating its origin after it was declared by a Libyan man due to fly back home.

Muskett, of Leicester Road, was later arrested by cops arriving back home from shopping trip with a number of the stolen £50 pound notes in his pocket. He told officers he’d stolen the cash because he was "tired, stressed and anxious" after working three 12 hour shifts and three night shifts.

He was also full time carer to his frail 85-year-old mother and had paid back all the money, the court heard.

But Minshull Street Crown Court Judge Adrian Smith jailed him for 18 months and told him: ”You have committed the greatest possible breach of trust when dealing with members of the public.

“Having worked in the airport you will be aware that the courts have a very strict policy when dealing with someone in your position of trust right down to the luggage handlers.

“It’s necessary and essential to maintain the integrity and confidence which the public have in customs and exise. I would be failing in my public duty if I was to suspend the operational period of a custodial sentence.

“The message must go out that for great breaches of trust of this sort there must be immediate custodial sentences passed.”

The court heard the theft ocurred in May when passenger Hisham El Isawi, a college student was on his way back to Libya with his wife and new born baby ready to set up home with savings of over £17,000. But he was halted on his way through airport security with the money and Muskett - called to invesitgate the cash - told Mr El Isawi to wait outside while he looked at the cash in a private room.

The delay caused the victim to miss his flight and upon returning back to a rented property in Manchester discovered £5,600 of the cash was missing.