A manager who was sacked after he handed out foreign currency found in a machine to staff has won compensation for unfair dismissal.

Jeff Ellis, 42, of Manor Farm Bungalows, Wantage, was accused of theft from his former employers Astro-systems.

He worked as a production manager until he was sacked from his £24,000 a year job in March last year at the Wantage-based firm, which makes banknote validating machines.

He claimed at a tribunal in Reading that he was not given a fair chance to defend himself.

He later learned that a female colleague had also accused him of sexually harassing her, claiming he had made comments about her breasts, and other staff said he had stolen cash.

Senior manager Rob Austin admitted that his decision to sack Mr Ellis may have been "hasty" and that he had not followed company policy in dealing with the matter.

He said he went ahead with a disciplinary hearing after failing to get hold of Mr Ellis, which he now accepted was a mistake.

Mr Ellis said he shared the cash -- 200 German Deutschmarks -- after finding it in one of the machines.

He described it as a "poor decision" rather than theft, and said it would have been impossible to trace the owner of the money.

The tribunal awarded Mr Ellis £7,621 compensation for loss of earnings, but reduced his award by 30 per cent after ruling he had contributed to his dismissal.