A cold and hungry man repaid a good Samaritan who gave him food, shelter and money by stealing his car.
Clinton Westlake-Tritton ran into an old neighbour who he persuaded to allow him to come back to his home on Charlotte Gardens.
Once there, the sympathetic man gave Westlake-Tritton food, cigarettes and even lent him money.
Later on, Westlake-Tritton, 43, nipped out to “meet an associate” but never came back – and it was only the following morning that his unsuspecting victim realised his car was gone too.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened on September 18 last year after the men bumped into each other while the complainer was walking home from the pub.
‘Poor decision-making’
Ms Martin said: “The accused stated he was cold and hungry and did not wish to walk home, which was some distance away, so the complainer advised him to come back to his address.
“The complainer provided him with food, cigarettes and cash.”
The pair ate together before Westlake-Tritton advised he was “heading out to meet an associate” and would return in 30 minutes.
The man waited for him to come back with the money he had lent him but eventually gave up waiting and went to bed.
In the morning, he discovered his car was no longer outside and reported it missing to the police.
CCTV checks then showed Westlake-Tritton calmly walking out of the man’s home shortly before 11pm in possession of his car keys, using them to unlock the man’s car and driving away.
Weeks later, at the beginning of October, officers traced the man’s car parked outside Fraser Court in Aberdeen.
It was safely recovered and returned to its owner undamaged.
Westlake-Tritton was later traced and arrested.
His reply to caution and charge was: “I don’t know what car you’re speaking about.”
Westlake-Tritton, of Oldcroft Place, Aberdeen, pled guilty to theft of the car keys and of the car itself.
Defence agent Gary Foulis accepted the offence was a “breach of trust”, adding: “The man was being a good Samaritan.”
Mr Foulis said it was “poor decision-making” from his client who had been “struggling with mental health and addiction at the time”.
Sheriff Ian Wallace jailed Westlake-Tritton for 300 days.
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