Power cut as thieves take cable

Mossblown residents suffered a power cut when when cables worth £ 3500 were stolen.

At the time of the theft Scottish Power said: “Whoever cut this down is lucky to be alive”.

Adrian Serban was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work after he admitted stealing the power lines last September.

The 37- year- old, who lives in Glasgow, told Ayr Sheriff Court he was duped into playing a part in the offence by Ionel Chitiboi and Robert Carp, who live near him.

Serban, who was arrested in a field near Sandyford Road in Mossblown, claimed he met the men just days before the incident.

Depute fiscal Stephen McLean said police on the A77 saw a BMW 5 Series travelling towards Glasgow at around 2am.

They stopped it because it was doing more than 70mph.

A search found four wheels of cable in the boot and Serban was arrested. It was soon uncovered that the copper wire had been stolen the previous night.

Police found paperwork highlighting a list of locations, including Mauchline, Mossblown and Annbank.

Defence lawyer Tony Currie said: “He has tried different types of employment. He has two children and his family moved to Scotland to find work.

“Mr Serban lives near a Romanian population. He met the two men who had found work but only knew them a matter of days.

“He admits to working on this particular night and knows what he did was wrong.”

Sheriff John Montgomery told Serban: “I am satisfied by what I’ve been told. You were duped by your former co- accused and you realised there was wrongdoing.

“You should have walked away at this point but you didn’t.

“Due to the gravity of the situation, you will be required to carry out a great deal of work. If you do not comply with this the likelihood is that you will go to jail instead.”

Serban will be required to carry out his community service within nine months.