Student cleans up after finding £55,400 in bin - and is rewarded with £44,300 for his honesty

Here's a case when honesty pays.

A struggling student who found AU$100,000 (£55,400) in the toilets of the office he was cleaning has been rewarded with AU$80,000 (£44,300).

Chamindu Amarsinghe, who worked at the Australian television Channel Nine Network's headquarters in Melbourne, spotted multiple AU$50 and AU$100 notes in a bin in the toilets.

He told the Herald Sun: 'There was too much to count - I thought someone was playing a prank on me.

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'But when I touched the notes - all yellow and green - I realised it was real money.'

The cleaner didn't think twice about reporting it to his manager who brought in a plumber.

More than AU$100,000 was found stashed in the bathroom - and AU$1200 was hidden in the pipes.

On Tuesday a magistrate ruled the cleaner, who now studies IT in New Zealand, could keep AU$81,597 of the bounty - with the rest going to the state.

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Magistrate Michel Smith said: 'There’s no reason why such honesty should go unrewarded.'

Stunned Mr Amarsinghe said he was 'speechless' when he took the call to receive the news.
He added: 'I’m really, really lucky. I’m not going to waste it.'

Police have not been able to find the source of the mysterious cash.