Two fraudsters used a stolen cheque book to buy and sell cars and even a dog across Scotland.
Ronald Saunders, 57, of Balmoral Gardens, Dundee, and William Stewart, 54, a prisoner at Perth, were both jailed.
Saunders and Stewart each admitted one charge of fraud at Dundee Sheriff Court by using a stolen cheque book in the name of William Stewart’s brother.
The court heard both fraudsters used the cheque book while knowing there were insufficient funds to pay for their transactions.
Saunders bought three cars in the Dundee area with the cheque book and sold one of the cars pocketing 8,945.
Stewart used the cheque book to buy four cars across Scotland and a pedigree puppy from a private seller in Dundee.
He also sold three cars he did not own, and received a total of 16,720.
Fiscal Depute Vicki Bell told the court there was no recovery of any of the vehicles or the dog. Saunders admitted using the fake cheques to buy two cars from private sellers and a third car from a trade seller between February 1 2012, and January 17 2013.
He also admitted selling the third car to a trade buyer in Muir of Ord.
Stewart admitted using the fake cheques to buy four cars from trade sellers in Fraserburgh, Inverness, Muir of Ord, and Kinross, between January 2012 and February 2013. And he admitted selling three cars which were not legally his to a trade buyer in Guardbridge, between February 6 and March 7 2013.
Stewart further admitted using one of the fake cheques to buy a Chihuahua puppy for 800 from a private seller in Dundee. Saunders was jailed for 20 months and Stewart for 34 months.
Sheriff Brown said: “Each of you embarked on a deliberate and persistent course of fraud. Each of you caused loss to the people involved.
“I don’t know their financial situations but you took a significant asset from them with utter disregard to that, purely for your own gain.
“Those who embark on a fraudulent scheme of this scale must expect to be treated very seriously by the court.
“And those who cheat hard-working members of the public can expect no sympathy.”
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