Banned driver stole car

Crook used owner’s keys

A banned Larkhall driver went into a house in the early hours and took car keys to steal a vehicle.

Twenty-year-old Brandon Watson, of West Wellbrae Road, admitted an amended charge of entering a house in Dalserf’s Manse Brae on April 30 and stealing a set of keys and a car.

The charge had originally stated he had broken into the property.

Watson also admitted a charge of driving while disqualified on Union Street, Stonehouse, on the same date.

Fiscal depute Callum Forsyth told Hamilton Sheriff Court last Friday the Dalserf householder had parked her car outside her home at 1pm on April 29 and went inside.

At about 12.30am the following day she heard the sound of a car being driven over gravel outside her house.

She did not think too much about it as local farmers regularly used the road at night, said the fiscal depute.

A short time later two police officers on patrol in the area saw the householder’s car being driven.

Mr Forsyth said they immediately recognised Watson, whom they knew to be a disqualified driver.

They followed the car for a while but lost sight of it.

The car owner woke up about 5am on April 30, found her car was missing and contacted police.

An investigation began and police located the car, which was returned to the owner.

Mr Forsyth said Watson had by some means got the key from inside the house but how he had done this was unknown.

The key, he added, had never been recovered and its replacement value was £1100.

Watson’s not guilty pleas to charges of being found at Larkhall addresses on April 28 last year in suspicious circumstances, driving without insurance, failing to stop for a police officer and two charges of breaking a bail curfew were accepted by the Crown.

Sheriff Thomas Millar deferred sentence on Watson until February 7 for a criminal justice social work report. He revoked Watson’s bail and ordered him to be detained in custody meantime.