An electricity thief got a jolt to his arm as he bypassed the meter of his Forfar home.
Jordan Kyle caused £822 worth of damage to the meter of the Lordburn Place flat in January 2012 and stole almost £600 of power before electricity officials uncovered the offence last December.
They received a tip-off that Kyle had tampered with the supply. After forcing entry to his home, they discovered the bypassed meter.
When interviewed, 20-year-old Kyle admitted he had committed the offence because he had no electricity, and said that when he was diverting the supply he received a shock that left his arm numb for hours.
Defence agent Michael Boyd told Forfar Sheriff Court Kyle’s supply has since been reconnected and he is paying an additional £10 a month.
Sheriff Edward Savage told Kyle: “You are lucky to be here today. If you start tampering with electricity boxes you could easily be killed.”
He deferred sentence on Kyle until January 23 next year for the accused to be of good behaviour and continue repayments.