A sheriff has praised members of an Aberdeenshire community after their vigilance led to the arrest of two organised criminals.
Nicholas Gaszka and Karl Scorfield travelled from Newcastle to raid a fish van which was parked outside The Burnett Arms in Kemnay.
But when the pair broke into the vehicle residents living nearby called the police and noted the registration plate of their getaway car.
The men were later tracked down by officers and caught red-handed with a bag containing more than £2,000 in cash and a cheque worth hundreds of pounds.
Yesterday, Gaszka, 32, and Scorfield, 31, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted carrying out the raid on September 18 last year.
The court heard Gaszka, of 47 Ferndale Avenue, Wallsend, Newcastle, had been working for Ruskim Seafoods Ltd at the time and had been approached by a man who drove a van selling their fish around the country.
Gaszka’s solicitor Bob Anderson said this man had informed him of the route he would be taking around the north and north-east and said he would be leaving the cash in the van over night.
He said the man suggested they targeted the van when it stopped in Kemnay.
The court heard the money bag should have been kept in a safe.
Gaszka then told his friend Scorfield, of 122 Richardson Street, Wallsend, Newcastle, about the plan to break into the van as he knew he was struggling financially.
They then arranged for another man to drive the getaway car.
Sheriff Graeme Napier said it was unlucky for the pair that the community was so vigilant.
He said: “You obviously did not expect the people of Kemnay to be so interested in their community. It is as a result of their vigilance you were caught scoring ill-gotten gains.”
The court heard that since the incident they had both turned their lives around.
The sheriff said: “It was clearly a well planned, dishonest enterprise.
“A custodial sentence will be at the top of my list when considering an appropriate disposal.”
Margaret Christie, the secretary of Kemany Community Council, said it was nice the sheriff had acknowledged their community spirit.
She said : “It is a small community and people do notice if there’s anything odd going on.
“Most people in Kemany are responsible so I am not surprised people got in touch with the police.”
The sheriff deferred sentence until next month.