Published date: 09 November 2015 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A FORMER electrician’s assistant has been found guilty of stealing scrap metal to sell on for thousands of pounds’ profit.
Alan Martin Scarratt, 65, of Raynham Avenue, Gresford, Wrexham, was convicted of taking metal items from his employer, which he sold on to two scrapyards for a profit of nearly £8,000 over a 17-month period.
A jury of six men and six women reached a verdict at Mold Crown Court, sitting in Chester, in just 75 minutes.
Judge Niclas Parry gave Scarratt a 12-month conditional discharge and told him must pay back £7,851.67, the total sum of the profit he made from selling the scrap metal, to Electricity North West (ENW).
David Mainstone, prosecuting, said Scarratt was employed as a jointer’s mate by Freedom Group, who were sub-contracted to take out work on behalf of Enw.
It had been the prosecution case that Scarratt took metals belonging to ENW without permission to sell for thousands of pounds’ profit.
He said Scarratt had been caught “red handed” on May 22, 2014, when stopped by police officers taking out vehicle checks at the Entrek scrapyard on Wrexham Industrial Estate.
Scarratt admitted to officers he had been trying to sell the scrap metal but that his boss had turned a blind eye to the practice.
Mr Mainstone said that bank transfers had also been found that showed payments from Wirral Metals scrapyard for almost £4,000 between January and November 2013.
When asked by his defence barrister, Caroline Harris, had he believed he’d done anything wrong, Scarratt broke down in tears before replying no and that he didn’t feel that what he had done was dishonest.
He told the court that he had been made a scapegoat, “abandoned” by colleagues, “sacrificed” by ENW and “hung out to dry” by management.
Scarratt had told police in interview that he had “become part of the culture” of taking metals and that he had to “fall in line.”
The trial heard that other employees were taking metal to sell on and that “periodically” management gave permission for Scarratt and colleagues to take the scrap. Following the verdict, Judge Parry told Scarratt he was receiving the conditional discharge because of his previous good character.
He added: “You took a chance, you took a risk and now you have to pay the consequences.
“The gain you had has to be taken away from you.”
Judge Parry also said that there was “clearly a culture” of stealing metals but Scarratt was the only one being prosecuted.
For more see - http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/154654/scrap-metal-thief-from-wrexham-must-pay-back-7-8k.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment