Former Manx Telecom manager who sold stolen phones online avoids jail

A former Manx Telecom manager who stole phones and tablets from the company and sold many of them online was given a suspended prison sentence in the Court of General Gaol Delivery in Douglas on Friday.

Sean Lowther, 36, of Reginald Close, Douglas, had pleaded guilty to one count of theft from an employer. Deemster Graeme Cook imposed 20 months’ custody, suspended for two years.

Manx Radio and Isle of Man Today gave different totals for the thefts. Manx Radio said the phones and accessories he stole were worth £46,461, while Isle of Man Today put the figure at almost £50,000.

Lowther had worked for Manx Telecom for 17 years and became its mobile products manager, a job that included testing devices and tariffs, according to Isle of Man Today. It reported that he oversaw the firm’s whole retail range and was able to open accounts and place orders.

The offending ran from 23 December 2021, when the first handset that later went missing was booked out, until the thefts were uncovered on 26 November 2024, Isle of Man Today reported.

It said the company grew suspicious in November 2024 when he put in an unusually large order for handsets, and carried out its own inquiry before passing the matter to police, whose officers found further thefts.

Prosecutor Hazel Carroon said Lowther had been arrested on 26 November 2024 on suspicion of fraud and theft and made no comment in interview. Manx Radio reported that police searched his home and recovered several devices.

The court heard that some of the devices he ordered had never been used on Manx Telecom’s network, showing they were not for work purposes.

According to Isle of Man Today, Lowther received £14,425 for 35 handsets he sold to the resale website Mazuma; they had cost the company £24,576. A further 21 devices went through a second resale site for £10,472.50, leaving Manx Telecom £19,329 down.

The court heard he also sold devices to at least one shop on the island and gave at least one to his ex-wife. Manx Radio said the items included iPads, iPhones and a Samsung phone.

Deemster Cook said the offending was made more serious by the trust the company had placed in Lowther and by how long it had lasted. Weighing in Lowther’s favour, he took into account his previous good character, his early guilty plea and the fact that he had found work again. Manx Radio reported that the Deemster also took account of a reference from a former colleague.

The Deemster questioned how the thefts had gone unnoticed for so long. “I am amazed that, within such a big organisation as Manx Telecom, there was nothing in place to raise these suspicions sooner,” he said, according to Isle of Man Today.

He was also critical of the police, Manx Radio reported, calling it “not acceptable” and “unconscionable” that their investigation had taken 15 months from Lowther’s first arrest.

The suspended sentence carries no supervision requirement, Isle of Man Today reported. A Proceeds of Crime hearing will be held later to decide how much Lowther must repay and whether he should pay compensation to Manx Telecom or costs.