A man who sold brass memorial plaques to a recycling firm after they went missing from Dundee Crematorium has escaped punishment.
Martin Gaughan appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court having already had his sentence deferred half a dozen times to allow him to be of good behaviour.
Sheriff Elizabeth Munro heard he had kept out of trouble and was performing well on a community payback order (CPO) imposed for a separate offence.
Solicitor George Donnelly told the sheriff that Gaughan’s CPO was due to be completed in March and he had no other matters outstanding.
He said he had found the brass plaques bound up together and he took them to a recycling centre where he was paid £46 for them.
Mr Donnelly said it was not until they were unwrapped by a member of staff that the true identity of the brass was discovered.
Police were called and Gaughan was arrested. He said he had found them near the centre on Paterson Street and sold them to the recyclers.
Mr Donnelly said the fact there was “no evidence that would place him at the crematorium” led to the Crown proceeding in the manner they had.
The court was previously told the plaques had not been reported stolen and staff were unaware they were missing until police contacted them.
Gaughan admitted the offence in March last year and Sheriff George Way had been monitoring his progress on CPO for a separate theft before dealing with the case.
The CPO was imposed after Gaughan admitted that on March 2, at Boots on Reform Street, he stole aftershave while on bail.
He was placed under supervision with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Sheriff Munro allowed the CPO to continue and, due to the latest good report from the social work department, admonished Gaughan on the charge of stealing 16 brass memorial plaques at Paterson Street on August 16 2013.