A north-east man who stole £15,000 worth of cable from businesses around Aberdeen in a desperate attempt to pay off his debts has been jailed.
David Calder appeared in Aberdeen Sheriff Court to faces charges of theft from three businesses.
The 50-year-old, of the city’s Ruthrieston Circle, admitted the charges.
He targeted Draka UK and Rowan Drilling on Peterseat Drive and Windgate on the Altens Industrial Estate between December last year and Thursday last week.
The court heard he had been desperate to pay off other debts so had taken to stealing wires and selling them on.
Representing Calder, defence agent Shane Campbell said: “My client is employed as a fishing supervisor in Peterhead.
“He became involved in this conduct as a result of rising amounts of debt.
“He felt he had no other way of dealing with it.
“He was able to sell the cables locally and given the straightforward nature of it he succumbed to temptation again.”
Depute fiscal Sophie Hanlon said: “The total value of the amount stolen was £15,000.”
Sheriff Malcolm Garden said there was “no alternative” to a custodial sentence and jailed him for nine months.
He said: “These crimes were not ones of opportunism, they were deliberate and persistent.
“The fact this was done as an attempt to pay off previous crimes cannot be accepted as an excuse.
“There is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”