'Scrap worth £27k sold for just £200' (From South Wales Guardian)

'Scrap worth £27k sold for just £200'

6:20am Friday 25th May 2012 in News

A 22-YEAR-OLD scrap metal thief claims he sold £27,000 worth of stolen mining equipment for just £200.

Scott Vyce, of Merthyr Tydfil, admitted stealing scrapmetal from Glanmor Yard, Glanaman, between April 17 and 18.

However, prosecutor Ellie Morgan told Llanelli magistrates that although the items had been unused for “five or six years” they were certainly not scrap.

“They included underground fans, mining carts, a two-tonne scissor lift, several boring machines – valued at thousands of pounds each – several jackhammers and several large motors,”

she said.

“He also took a power pack, a calibration machine – valued at £12,000 – couplings, a 550-volt transformer worth £5,000 and four drive sprockets worth £4,000.”

Ms Morgan said Vyce had travelled to the yard from Merthyr Tydfil, accompanied by a lorry.

“CCTVfootage showedthe lorry leaving the site on several occasions,”

MsMorgan said.

She dismissed Vyce’s claim that hehadsold theequipmentfor £200.

“The scrap value of steel is around £150 per tonne and there was ten to 15 tonnes,” she said, “so the value of the steel alone was between £1,000 and £1,500 – that does not include the copper coils and cabling etc.”

Gavin Rofer, defending, questioned the values and quantity of items stolen.

“There is a huge discrepancy between the defendant’s claims and what the police have said,”

said Mr Rofer, adding that Vyce had used a flatbed truck rather than a lorry to remove the items.

He also criticised the prosecution’s decision to charge Vyce with the theft of scrap and then request more time to consider a more serious charge.

“It seems the prosecution are looking for the penny, the bun and the bakery,” he said.

Magistrates agreed to adjourn sentencing untilMay31 for further investigation into the equipment’s value.