Man denies he stole £70k of lead off estate

An Aberdeen man has gone on trial accused of stripping more than £70,000 worth of lead from buildings at a historic castle estate in rural Perthshire.

Rolands Zeiliss denies he was part of a masked gang who targeted properties in the grounds of Belmont Castle, the one-time home of a British prime minister.

Perth Sheriff Court heard that a cottage on the edge of the remote Meigle estate was flooded after tonnes of lead was removed from its roof. A nearby stables building was raided weeks later – and then again in early 2020.

Investigators found broken CCTV cameras dumped in a bush.

Painter and decorator Zeiliss later told police he could not explain why his DNA was found on one of the units. He insisted he had never been at the estate. It is alleged that Zeiliss stole around £12,000 worth of lead from the roof of Gardener’s

Cottage on October 31 2019. The 37-year-old is accused of destroying outside security lighting and CCTV cameras at the site in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

He is further accused of returning to the estate on November 25 and stealing around £37,000 worth of lead from the stables administration building.

It is alleged that he moved the position of CCTV cameras there to avoid detection.

Prosecutors also claim Zeiliss, of Cattofield Terrace, went back to the old stables building on January 1 2020 and stole £21,000 of lead.

He faces another charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by removing CCTV cameras from the site.

Zeiliss denies all charges. Jurors heard that Alan Paterson, the owner of Gardener’s Cottage, went away on holiday in October 2019. His cleaner attended on October 31 and noticed a CCTV camera “dangling” off the side of the property. Another workman the following afternoon noticed that lead had been stripped off the building.

Police Constable Gary Polson told the court he went to the cottage and described the loss of lead as “very significant”.

The jury was shown footage captured from CCTV cameras showing a group of men wearing balaclavas walking around the property. One man, with a distinctive “tree” tattoo on his arm, can be seen lifting a large item over his shoulders. The trial heard police had been unable to trace the tattooed man.

Zeiliss was asked by his solicitor Billy Somerville to stand in the dock and show jurors he had no tattoos on his arms.

Asked why his DNA was recovered from one of the broken CCTV cameras, he replied: “It would be some mistake. I’ve never been at this place.”

The trial before Sheriff William Wood continues.

RAIDED: Lead was stripped off the stables building at Belmont Castle Estate, Meigle.