A serial car thief who was locked up for stealing more than £50,000 worth of motors turned to crime after the death of his mother, a court has heard.
Michael Beaton was sentenced to 22 months behind bars on Thursday after he admitted carrying out a two-day crime spree this summer – only six weeks after he was released from his last sentence.
Earlier this year, the 19-year-old “hardened criminal” targeted two north-east homes making off with a Porsche Cayenne, a Skoda Octavia and an Alfa Romeo Mito Sprint.
And he was only caught when one of his brave victims discovered what he was doing and pulled him from the driver’s seat of the moving Porsche.
Yesterday the repeat offender appeared back in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced for three other offences he committed before the spate of thefts.
On February 11 last year Beaton stole registration plates from an address on Dales Road, Peterhead. Then almost a year later he was caught trying to break into a house on Harcourt Road, Aberdeen.
He also failed to comply with a bail condition which instructed him to sign on at the local police station every Friday.
Beaton admitted the offences when he previously appeared in court and sentence had been deferred until yesterday.
Representing the young man, solicitor Tony Burgess said his client, who has a substantial record, turned to crime after the death of his mum.
He said Beaton, of Cummings Park Drive, Aberdeen, was also encouraged to offend by his peer group and said he tended to “show off” around the gang of teenage car thieves he was a member of.
He said: “When he is out with the other youths he tends to show off in front of his peers. He is very much a young man who is easily led by others.
“He is particularly vulnerable as he has had a hard life. His mother had died about 18 months ago and he found the situation fairly difficult to cope with. This is when he started to offend more frequently.”
Mr Burgess asked Sheriff William Taylor to impose a sentence which would not affect his earliest release date.
He was sentenced to six months in detention which will run concurrently with the sentence imposed last week.