A sneaky thief who stole two inflatable dinghies and wrote off a stolen Ford Fiesta by crashing it into a lamppost has been locked up.
Serial offender Ian Gray, 31, also nicked power tools and an iPhone 6 during a crime spree spanning over two years from multiple Hillington-based businesses.
The crafty crook broke into the rear yards of the companies by cutting a hole in the perimeter fence that backed on to Hillington West train station.
He appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court this week where he admitted stealing from McNair Engineering, Brick and Steel Construction, Independent Furniture & Interiors and ASD Electrical between September 2019 and February 24, 2022.
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Prosecutor David McDonald told Paisley Sheriff Court: “Around 10pm at McNair Engineering, a single alarm activation occurred which normally indicates an alarm fault.
“Around 11.30pm, a staff member noted a trailer was moved from its original position within the yard.
“The staff member noted entry had been forced to the rear of the trailer and items from within had been stolen.
“The following day, police observed an insecurity in the surrounding fence which leads on to the railway line.”
Gray’s fingerprints and DNA were found on the trailer where the items were stolen.
The court heard that when Gray was arrested, he declined to have a solicitor and he denied to have ever been within the yard and claimed to have been “drunk in a different area of Glasgow”.
The court was told the items stolen included two inflatable dinghies and three outboard motors valuing £6,500 and there was no recovery.
On March 13, 2020, a staff member attended at Independent Furniture & Interiors to start their shift when they noticed the rear fire door was left open.
The fire door was damaged and a rubber glove was found on the ground outside.
Also on March 13, 2020, a staff member at Brick and Steel Construction noticed a container was open. The padlock had been damaged and tools had been taken.
Mr McDonald added: “CCTV enquiries were carried out in relation to footage from Hillington West train station.
“As a result of the CCTV, it was confirmed that between just after 12.20am and just before 12.50am on the morning of March 13, 2020, three males attended at platform one and made their way through the fence line in direction of the businesses.
“The three males then made various trips back and fourth to the fence line before leaving the same way they came from with a quantity of items, assumed to be the stolen property.”
Independent Furniture & Interiors had nine power tools stolen with a total value of £2,197. The company suffered a loss of £2,057.
There was no value provided by Brick and Steel Construction, but none of the items were recovered.
The court heard five drills were stolen from ASD Electrical in Erskine Square, Hillington, on April 13, 2020. They were worth £1,950 and were nicked alongside an iPhone 6 and £10 in cash.
Mr McDonald also told the court that on February 24, this year, a white Ford Fiesta was stolen from Brick and Steel Construction, worth £12,500, and was written off when Gray crashed it into a lamppost in Paisley.
Defence agent Kirsty McGeehan told the court Gray “fully accepts and regrets” his behaviour.
Sheriff Tom McCartney jailed Gray for 12 months, backdated to February 25.
He was also banned from driving for 12 months.
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