Crook in the dock after taking nicked tools back to owner

Lout was on bail when he received the stolen items

A Paisley yob has been convicted of the reset of £800 worth of stolen power tools, a court heard.

Hapless Patrick Wallace, 41, returned the haul of gear to its owner and was later done for the offence of receiving stolen property.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard Wallace, who has a lengthy record of previous convictions, was actually caught as a result of his honesty on this occasion.

Fiscal depute Margaret McCallum said: “The witness had parked his motor vehicle at his home address on January 1 this year, and all was in order.

“The following morning he noticed the quarter-light window on the driver’s side had been smashed and items had been removed.

“His shed also had been broken into. The padlock had been broken and he contacted police. Officers attended and spoke to the witness and his wife.”

The fiscal added when the complainer had gone to work, his wife noticed the power tools had been returned to their address.

Ms McCallum added: “The witness’s wife explained, while her husband was at the work, the missing tools had been returned .

“Police carried out further inquiries, checking CCTV and, during the course of their investigations, they had dealings with the accused.”

The court was told Wallace, of Darkwood Drive, Ferguslie Park, in the town, was interviewed by cops when he admitted the possession of the stolen tools, and had returned them, but said he had nothing to do with their original theft.

The fiscal said: “He was unable to say from whom he had received the items. These were power tools worth £800.”

When Wallace appeared at court for sentencing, he admitted a charge of reset involving power tools and gardening equipment stolen from a property at Oakridge Crescent, Paisley, and having committed the offence while on bail.

Defence agent David Nicolson said: “There was full recovery of the items. Mr Wallace returned the items to the parties concerned with an express apology.

“He has a history of substance misuse and was recently placed on Community Payback Order requiring he perform unpaid work.

“He has been complying with that order.”

Sheriff Craig Harris imposed additional unpaid work for Walker to carry out but warned him to keep his nose clean or he will face jail.

He said: “I will impose 90 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 100, because of your plea of guilty. These will run in addition to the remaining hours on your other order.

“This is as an alternative to imprisonment.”

He was unable to say from whom he had received the items