A young thief who stole farm equipment and vintage tractor parts worth thousands only pocketed a few hundred pounds when he scrapped his haul.
Miles Westwood targeted Knowe Farm near Dunning on three occasions in February 2021.
Westwood made three trips to the farm, just two and a half miles from his home in the village’s Station Road.
He made off with fencing, farm equipment and vintage tractor parts.
Some of the items were recovered but others were found to have been scrapped at Perth‘s Shore Road.
The tractor parts were valued at £2,500 but receipts showed the 19-year-old pocketed less than £500 for his haul.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court to admit the thefts and will be sentenced next month.
Van spotted
Fiscal depute Stephanie Hendry said: “The locus is Knowes Farm in Dunning.
“It’s an abandoned farm house. It comprises of various outbuildings.”
At around 11am on February 21, a witness saw a Transit van enter the courtyard, leaving before he could speak to the driver.
The witness left for lunch at about noon and returned four hours later to find items missing.
He contacted police to report the thefts of various vintage tractor parts worth £2,500.
A 50-metre roll of metal fencing worth £60 was also gone.
Police probe
Police traced the accused in Aberuthven on March 4 in a different vehicle, which had a sheep hay rack inside.
Later that morning, they found the van parked at Dunning tennis courts.
Inside were three, six-foot metal sheep feeding troughs.
Westwood was arrested the following morning.
Three days after his arrest, police attended at Binn Group’s scrapyard on Perth’s Shore Road.
Six weeks earlier, Westwood had attended on four consecutive days to sell “scrap” which was now unrecoverable.
Records showed he had also attended the yard in the same Transit van which had been seen at the farm.
Overall, the company’s receipts showed Westwood had been paid £466.90.
In court
Westwood admitted that on three occasions between February 21 and 26 in 2021, he stole from Knowes Farm.
He pled guilty to taking fencing, farm equipment and tractor parts during these visits.
Westwood was just 17 years old at the time.
The 520-acre farm, which has barely been occupied this century, had been on the market.
A closing date for auction had been set for just two months prior.
Sheriff David Hall said: “I think given the values here and the accused’s age, a report would be in order.”
Westwood will return to be sentenced on August 21.
His bail was continued.
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