A pair of “idiotic” Angus lobster thieves have been warned by a sheriff they are in deep trouble after a brace of harbourside raids.
Twice in three days, Raymond Johnston and Jamie Mitchell swiped shellfish from cages hanging in the waters of Arbroath harbour before the fishermen could get the chance to sell them on.
They made off with the valuable haul on their bikes, but were caught on harbour CCTV and will be sentenced next month after leaving Forfar Sheriff Court with a warning ringing in their ears that the offence has landed them in hot water.
Johnston, 29, of Millgate Loan, and 17-year-old Mitchell from Stoneycroft Lane, both Arbroath, appeared before Sheriff Gregor Murray to admit two charges of stealing lobsters from the town’s harbour on October 10 and 13 last year.
Depute fiscal Jill Drummond told the court the total haul in the two thefts was valued at around £140.
She said the normal practice among lobster fishermen is to leave the live lobsters submerged in a keep cage at the harbour to keep them fresh for sale.
In the October 10 incident, a fisherman checked the keep cage around 10am and there were around 20 lobsters in it at that time.
A witness then saw the two accused cycling in the harbour area and when the fisherman left they untied the cage and made off with the lobsters.
The second theft was discovered around 6.30am and when police were called they reviewed CCTV at the harbourmaster’s office and identified Johnston and Mitchell as being the culprits.
Sheriff Murray told the pair: “Fishermen in Arbroath have a difficult enough life without two idiots like you stealing their catch.”
He warned Johnston: “You have a horrendous record and you know what’s coming to you as a result of this.”
He noted Mitchell was a first offender but told him he was in “deep trouble”.
The pair will be sentenced on April 16 and were granted bail for the preparation of criminal justice reports.