A thief who travelled from Durham to Dunfermline to steal £2,400 worth of steel piping has been told to carry out unpaid work.
Clarke Huntington was caught on CCTV carrying out the theft at PCM Engineering in Castleblair Lane, on March 25 last year.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard the 23-year-old arrived in a white Transit van at around 6.30am and began to load stainless steel piping onto the back of the vehicle, before it was driven off.
Huntington, of Elizabeth Place in Shotton Colliery near Durham, appeared in court for sentencing this week having previously pled guilty to the theft.
Two others are accused of acting with Huntington to commit the crime.
Caught on CCTV
Procurator fiscal depute Amy Robertson said: “Mr Huntington exited the driver seat of the vehicle and is seen to wear a black coloured hood, black top and light trousers.
“The three men began to load lengths of stainless steel piping on the back of the vehicle.
“Five minutes later, all got back into the vehicle and drove off from the locus”.
The fiscal depute said members of staff at the business reviewed private CCTV the next day after becoming aware the piping had been taken.
Ms Robertson said the value of steel tubing taken from the yard was £2,400.
Police were able to trace the vehicle seen on CCTV and Huntington was found within it.
Defence lawyer Calum Harris said his client’s reason for the theft was to get money as he was in a poor financial position at the time.
The solicitor highlighted Huntington, who now works on an agency basis as a landscaper, has no previous convictions.
Mr Harris also highlighted that a social work report assesses him as low risk of reoffending.
Sheriff Francis Gill told Huntington: “This is a serious matter which involved a degree of planning on your part”.
The sheriff sentenced him to carry out 65 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
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