News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A passenger who left an expensive camera on a holiday jet was stunned to find it had been stolen by a Ryanair steward - after he spotted it for sale on ebay.

Teacher Aaron Galloway, 23, was on a half-term city break to Prague when he left his expensive SLR camera on the seat as he landed in the Czech Republic capital.

Ground crew phoned the flight attendants within minutes but cabin crew said there was no sign of the £499 Nikon.

Dejected Aaron got home and went on Ebay hoping to find a replacement and was astonished to see his camera for sale with just 33 minutes left on the auction.

He messaged seller Fernando Miguel Andrade Viseu who confessed to the theft - and admitted being a Ryanair flight attendant.

Aaron checked his eBay profile and found Viseu had sold 118 items in the previous few months, including Ray Ban sunglasses and expensive Skull Candy headphones.

The Portuguese-born sneak begged Aaron not to tell police and said he would lose his job but officers raided his home near Stansted and found the D5200 Nikon.

Viseu was charged with the theft and stealing a Kindle from an unknown owner and pleaded guilty in court.

Magistrates in Chelmsford, Essex, imposed a community order and ordered him to do 100 hours of unpaid work. Ryanair have now sacked him.

(Image: SWNS)

Viseu was also ordered to attend a drug rehabilitation programme for six months by the court on March 9 and pay £145 costs.

Aaron, a primary school teacher, said: "When I saw it on ebay I couldn't believe it.

"I was angry with Ryanair to be honest. How can they not notice someone just taking things off the seats?

"He had deleted everything from the camera - photos of Christmas, of a family member who had passed away and my graduation - all wiped.

"I'd been looking forward to taking lots of photos on my holiday and that was just ruined."

Aaron went online when he got back home to Brighton, East Sussex, after his three-night break and was astonished to see his camera.

He said: "That night I decided to check ebay - I'm not sure what made me do it, but I thought I would just have a look.

"Right there, with just 33 minutes to go, was my camera. I knew it was mine because the description with the strap, the lens, the battery, the memory card - all mine.

"It was a three day auction starting the same day I lost my camera, and the item location was Stansted.

"I contact the non-emergency police number but only got through to the switchboard and I was panicking.

"So I thought I had nothing to lose so I messaged the seller, expecting them to just ignore me.

"He admitted he worked for Ryanair and had taken my camera. I was pretty surprised because actually he could have ignored me and there was nothing I could have done. But he said he was really sorry."

Viseu - who was listed on ebay as fstoffel2013 - sent Aaron a message saying: "My apologies for this. I'll obviously return the camera to you.

"Please tell me when you return and I will meet you at the terminal.

"Of course my job is important to me. I'll meet you at the terminal or whatever you want to.

"I found the camera at the end of the day and I will return it to you, of course. Please, please don't report me."

(Image: Rex Features)

Aaron added: "The police initially said they wanted me to organise to go and collect it off him in person, and they would arrest him there.

"But then once I showed them the evidence they went to his home and arrested him there."

Viseu's ebay user profile is still active, has 100% positive feedback and has been trading since June 2013.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We arrested a 34-year-old man from the Stansted area on Friday, February 20 on suspicion of theft.

"He was taken to Stansted area police station where he was interviewed and subsequently charged with theft of a camera and a Kindle."

Ryanair said: "While we don't comment on legal matters, we can confirm that this individual no longer works for Ryanair."