An Aberdeen man stole industrial metal pipes claimed to be worth more than £200,000 and sold them for scrap to cover his gambling debts.
Steven McGregor, 36, pocketed no more than £7,000 for the steel tubes from a scrap metal firm.
The value of the metal, stolen from storage facility Peterson UK Ltd, in Inglismaldie, near Edzell, is still in dispute but one valuation puts the figure at £206,000.
McGregor was employed as a team leader by Peterson and worked at the storage facility, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Depute fiscal Colin Neilson said: “There is still dispute over the value of the stolen items.”
He said a witness who works for a haulage firm had been contacted by McGregor and asked to pick up “what was described as scrap” from the facility and take it to scrap metal firm Panda Rosa.
A total of four journeys were made with the driver being paid £150 per trip by McGregor.
Mr Neilson said in April 2016 an employee of oil firm Total became aware that 54 tubulars could not be located.
Police were contacted and CCTV on four dates in February and April 2016 showed trucks arriving empty and leaving loaded with steel tubes.
A total of 88 pipes were taken and Mr Neilson said the company valued them at £206,000.
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McGregor, whose address was given in court papers as Alexander Terrace, Aberdeen, pled guilty to stealing steel tubulars and metal between November 1 2015 and April 9 2016.
Defence agent Mike Monro said: “Some cases are pretty straightforward. This is certainly not one of them.”
He said the defence did not agree with the valuation of the items and that all but one of the truckloads had been “pulled pipes” that had been taken from the North Sea and were essentially scrap.
Mr Monro continued: “He’s been there for some period of time. In security terms to say it was lacking would be an understatement.
“He was in financial difficulties, self-made gambling debts.”
He added: “The accused made out of this no more than £6,500-£7,000.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller said: “I will continue the case for a criminal justice social work report and restriction of liberty order assessment.
“We do need to get to the bottom of this issue with the value of the metal.”
He fixed a sentencing hearing for later this month and continued McGregor’s bail in the meantime.
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