27.04.2012

Jail for trailer lift thieves

Two thieves who stole a trailer lift in Newmills, Fife, Scotland in 2010, have been jailed after they were caught with the help of You-Tube.
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The two 'case the joint' in their hi-vis jackets

The two, William Allison, 44, and Ian Dolan, 41, both of Airdrie, Scotland, were caught on a CCTV camera taking the Niftylift 120 from a yard where it was being used to work on a tiled roof. They walked in, unclipped the security fence and then reversed their 4x4 vehicle down the lane onto the site, connected the trailer and made off, all in broad daylight.

Both wore their hi-vis jackets and looked as though they were supposed to be there. The trailer lift’s owner, Alexis Dow, uploaded four minutes of footage to YouTube, showing the theft and the number plate of the green Ford Maverick 4X4 the thieves used.
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The fence is opened and space cleared all caught on camera

The two men were recognised and named in the comments section under the video and then spotted by the police. PC Euan Gowdie told the court: “We were made aware that the footage had later been uploaded on to YouTube and we were informed that those responsible for the theft had been named in the footage. I also recognised their faces from the photographs on the police database.”

The two men pleaded ‘Not Guilty‘, but Dunfermline Sheriff Court found the two of them guilty of the offence and jailed Allison for 12 months, while Dolan got 11 months.
To view the video on You Tube, click here
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The 12 metre trailer lift is connected to the thieves 4x4..

Vertikal Comment

It is always good to see thieves like this caught and sentenced, sadly the sentences are way too lenient. These after all were not opportunistic petty thieves taking something to feed themselves with. They had clearly planned their crime and had their 4x4 ready.

It is also highly likely that there is other missing equipment out there for which they were responsible? Tougher punishment is required, or perhaps the answer is to tag or micro-chip such people for a further number of years after they come out of prison, so that their whereabouts can be compared to any similar crimes that occur after their release?