A BUILDER drove away with thousands of pounds of materials without paying after joining forces with a supply yard worker, a court was told.

Self-employed Marcus Barnett, 33, felt so guilty about the deception that he tried to back out but was blackmailed into carrying on, Fareham magistrates heard.

He took more than £3,600 of stock from Elliotts builders' merchants in Bishop's Waltham over a four-month period last year.

Barnett has since paid back the full amount, the court was told.

He was caught when bosses at the firm noticed an employee was wiping his invoices off a new computer system - allowing him to effectively fill up his lorry for free.

Barnett pleaded guilty to five counts of theft. He will be sentenced after the probation service has compiled a report on him.

In mitigation, Nigel Cozens revealed that after Barnett, who has no previous convictions, had been arrested in November he borrowed money from family members to pay the firm back in full.

Mr Cozens said: "The money has been repaid and he has also sent a letter to Elliotts saying 'I am extremely remorseful and sorry'.

"He knows he acted stupidly, it is his biggest regret in his life. He describes it as a merry-go-round, he couldn't get off once he was on."

Barnett, of Shamblehurst Lane, Hedge End, said he was approached by an employee of the firm who could "do him a deal".

He said he asked the employee to stop deleting his invoices but the man continued and demanded payment.

Mr Cozens said: "He has two small children aged four and six and he is a hard-working man who works six days a week and employs up to 16 builders.

"He has got a good reputation in the building trade and he is embarrassed about how this is going to look for him."

He added that Barnett now hoped to re-establish his long-standing business relationship with Elliotts.