An opportunist thief sold a car he spotted in a Dundee car park to scrap merchants, who then crushed the vehicle before it could be recovered by its owner.
The Peugeot 206 GTI had been sitting in the car park at the Lidl store on South Road for weeks, having been declared “off the road” by its owner.
The city’s sheriff court heard that was all the enticement Bruce Bennett needed to make some quick cash on the ageing car.
He contacted scrap metal dealers and invited them along to the car park to make an offer on the car, having smashed a window to gain access.
The 35-year-old accepted £80 for the Peugeot, which was swiftly taken away by the buyers and delivered to their yard.
It was not until the following day that its true owner noticed it was missing and contacted the police, who discovered glass from the smashed window in the car park.
Officers soon tracked down the buyers but had to deliver bad news to the owner, as the car had been crushed within hours.
The court was told the car could have been worth as much £700 as it contained a relatively expensive stereo and speaker system.
Bennett, of Elders Court, Dundee, was identified as the seller by the scrap merchants as he’d provided them with his name and shown them photographic identification in the absence of documentation.
He initially claimed to be the owner but was jailed for three months after finally admitting stealing the car on July 8 last year.
Solicitor Anika Jethwa said her client, who has previous convictions for theft, had been on a cocktail of prescribed drugs and methadone at the time.
Alhough he had since secured a council tenancy, she added that he had been financially stricken and in homeless accommodation when he made his opportunistic move.
“Sometimes people leave cars that are off the road in car parks,” she said. “Unfortunately Mr Bennett spotted this one and became involved in breaking its window, then selling it on.”
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael said there was “no alternative” to custody.