A man sold a bag full of brass plaques to a recycling firm after they had gone missing from Dundee Crematorium.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told Martin Gauchan, 31, had been unaware what the items were when he took them to the recyclers on August 16 last year.
Staff at European Recycling Ltd of Paterson Street called the police when they opened the bag and realised where the plaques were from, the court heard.
Gaughan’s solicitor George Donnelly said his client had shared their revulsion when he was told, as the plaques were taped together and he thought he was handing in a “load of brass” he had found.
The court also heard staff at the crematorium were unaware of the theft until police took the items back there.
Gaughan, c/o Transform, Brewery Lane, admitted that on April 16 last year at Paterson Street, he stole 16 ornamental plaques.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie told the court the accused had entered the recycling centre around 9.30am carrying a black bin bag and said he had some brass to sell.
She said: “They checked in the bag, and the accused went to the office and got £46 after he had provided identification.
“Later another employee checked the items and realised there were memorial plaques.”
Ms Gillespie told the court police officers watched CCTV at the yard and the accused was seen speaking to staff and receiving payment before leaving the premises.
She said the officers then went to Dundee Crematorium to make inquiries with the manager who was unaware they were missing but confirmed it after checking the premises.
The value of the items was put at £355 and they were returned to the crematorium.
At 6pm that night the accused was traced and admitted they had been in his possession but denied he had stolen them.
Mr Donnelly said: “Mr Gaughan shares the revulsion of the staff at what these items turned out to be. He is someone who trawls derelict sites for scrap and he is known to the staff there and had provided photograph identification to them.
“He discovered them in an area of grassland close to the recycling unit. It is maybe not too fanciful to think that someone had stolen them but bottled out of taking them in.”
Sheriff George Way said he would defer sentence on Gaughan for reports and told him: “The Crown have accepted that you found these items and on the strict understanding that someone else might have taken these from the last resting place of someone’s ashes, I will defer sentence for reports and a restriction of liberty assessment.”
Sentence was deferred until March 10.