Farm worker jailed after ‘bad behaviour binge’

COURT: Labourer stole cash, drove with no licence and held boozy parties

A farm labourer went on a four-day “bad behaviour binge”, stealing his holidaying employer’s car, partying in their home and pillaging their bank accounts.

Kieran O’connor seized his opportunity after being handed the keys to the farm near Abernethy, where he was tasked with looking after his employer’s dogs.

He abused their trust in staggering fashion, with a sheriff dismissing out-ofhand the suggestion that 96 hours of criminality could be considered “acting on impulse”.

Within hours of being left in charge, the 24-year-old had smashed open a cash box to steal around £600 and used a credit card to buy phone services.

Over the next three days he used the same card to steal £700 from cash machines in Bridge of Earn and Perth.

Perth Sheriff Court was told he had also staged boozy parties for his friends in the farmer’s house and used his powerful Range Rover to ferry them around, despite having no licence.

Despite all this, the court was told his employer was willing to “forgive and forget”.

O’connor, of Lindores, pled guilty to 11 charges, with offences committed between July 18 and 21 last year.

He admitted stealing a bank card, obtaining £85.83 of mobile phone services by fraud, using three ATMS to steal £250, £200 and £250, forcing open a cash box and stealing a quantity of cash, taking and driving away a car without consent, driving without a licence or insurance and driving in a reckless and dangerous manner.

O’connor was jailed for six months and banned from driving for 18 months.

On one trip into Perth he lost control of the car in spectacular fashion during a late night joyride.

As he drove friends along Edinburgh Road he mounted the pavement and careered on to parkland at the South Inch.

Solicitor Pauline Cullerton said O’connor had cooperated fully with a police investigation and had admitted his guilt from the outset.

You abused their trust in so many ways.

“He says that he acted on impulse, no matter how difficult it may seem to argue that when the offences took place over a four-day period,” she told Perth Sheriff Court. “He has paid back the majority of the money he took from his employers and they have confirmed they are still willing to employ him, notwithstanding what happened.”

The solicitor asked the court to consider an alternative to custody – but Sheriff William Wood told O’connor that while his employer may have been willing to “forgive and forget”, such forgiveness was not for the courts.

He said: “You abused their trust in so many ways and it cannot be said that this was a one-off or an impulse because these actions took place over four days.

“I notice that your employer has been willing to forgive and forget but it is my job to ensure that people are deterred from behaving in such a way.

“Given your previous convictions for fire-raising and driving offences, this cannot be dealt with in any way other than a custodial sentence.”

SHERIFF WILLIAM WOOD