A librarian who stole books from a small community library and tried to sell them online has been jailed. Elizabeth McGregor from Hirwaen in South Wales worked at Pontypridd Library in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area of South Wales while she was working as a librarian, including a rare book on the Aberfan disaster.
While working at the library, McGregor’s employers started noticing books going missing, and she was suspected. During her time working at the library hundreds of books went missing. A police investigation originally found books for sale on her eBay account, including the Aberfan book Aberfan – A Disaster and its Aftermath by Joan Miller, which she had tried to sell for £400. The book is thought to be an important historical document and used as research during the making of television programmes to mark the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.
The BBC reports that when police finally visited McGregor’s home, they found books everywhere, including several she had burned to try and cover her tracks, and many in her bin. In all, several hundreds books were recovered in the raid.
When the trial came to court, McGregor failed to admit to the thefts, despite being caught virtually red-handed and as such spun out what the judge called ‘a catalogue of ridiculous lies’. McGregor was given six months in prison for each of the thefts to be run concurrently, and two months for perverting the cause of justice to be served consecutively, putting her behind bars for eight months.
Although not all of the books stolen could be recovered, Aberfan – A Disaster and its Aftermath was found, and restored and returned to the library.
Book Returned to Scottish Library 73 Years Late
Librarian discovers cash inside book returned 53 years late
A virtual library has opened for children in England