Man botched latenight raid on former employer’s depot

Court: Revenge plot goes awry as exhausted thief is spotted catching his breath by passing police officers

A Dundee man angered at his sacking by energy giant SSE plotted and then spectacularly botched a revenge raid on one of its supply depots.

Josh Keddie’s first misstep was stealing his dad’s car to carry out the late night robbery in rural Perthshire.

He then left behind tracks and evidence at the secure yard near Madderty, where he forced entry.

He might still have escaped with a haul of high value copper wire had he not over-exerted himself trying to load three bales into the vehicle.

Sometime after the 24-year-old might otherwise have fled the scene he was discovered by passing police officers, doubled over and breathing heavily in a layby.

The copper cabling was clearly visible in the rear of the car despite efforts to conceal it beneath a highvisibility yellow jacket.

A small mountain of tools, including bolt cutters and a claw hammer, were sitting in clear view on the passenger seat.

Tracks in surrounding mud were clearly visible, running from the yard where he had stolen the copper wire, to the rear of the car. His boots were also caked in the mud. Keddie initially attempted to brazen it out with officers, telling them he was an employee of the firm and had been asked to pick up the wire for an early job in Alloa the following morning.

When the police officers began to make further inquiries, however, he told them he had been fired by the company and was looking to get even.

Appearing at Perth Sheriff Court, he accepted he had been involved an “a rather bizarre set of circumstances”.

He claimed to have little recollection of events, having been troubled by family issues at the time of the crime and pointed out that he had never been in trouble before.

Family members backed him up, reporting that he had been “acting oddly”, though he had apparently since shaken that off and returned to work as a delivery driver.

Keddie, of Ballater Place, Dundee, admitted breaking into a Scottish and Southern Energy secure storage facility on January 17 to steal a quantity of copper wire.

He also admitted taking and driving away a car from an address in Dundee without its owner’s consent and driving without insurance.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told him: “This is an odd set of offences.

“You say you have no recollection of events, but it appears perfectly clear that you had in your mind, for whatever reason, the break-in, the theft of copper wire and the unauthorised use of your father’s car.”

He ordered Keddie to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, fined him £300 and endorsed his licence with eight penalty points.

You say you have no recollection of events, but it appears that you had in your mind, for whatever reason, the break-in, the theft of copper wire and the unauthorised use of your father’s car. SHERIFF LINDSAY FOULIS