A man has been jailed after helping himself to thousands of pounds worth of luggage from Heathrow Airport 's baggage carousels.

Businessman Bjorn Beil, 36, from Düsseldorf in Germany, pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft at Isleworth Crown Court on October 24.

Beil stole the suitcases during trips to London on September 13 and October 4 this year, and the court heard how the Met Police and Heathrow Airport teamed up to identify and arrest Beil.

Hours of CCTV was trawled through on those two days, with footage showing Beil stealing luggage from carousels before taking it into the toilets where police say he helped himself to valuables including Louis Vuitton trainers, a Chanel handbag and an Apple laptop.

Beil was arrested red handed in the toilets in the early hours of October 23 after Heathrow Airport informed the Aviation Policing Command of his presence in the terminal.

Beil was sentenced to 16 months in prison

He stole a suitcase from another flight's luggage carousel and headed to the toilet, where he was arrested.

The 37-year-old was due to attend a business meeting in central London that same day.

Photos of some of the stolen items, including the Louis Vuitton trainers, were found on his phone.

Louis Vuitton trainers were stolen from one of the suitcases

"Beil used his business trips as an opportunity to commit crime in the UK," said investigating officer PC Barry Munnelly, of the Aviation Policing Command.

Adding: "When he arrived at the airport, Beil headed for the luggage carousels and helped himself to other people's suitcases.

"The Met and Heathrow Airport worked together to identify Beil and ensure he was brought before the courts.

"We are now working to return the stolen items to their owners, where possible, and to identify if anyone else was a victim."

On Tuesday (November 21), Beil was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to 16 months in prison.

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