THREE men caught stealing lead and cabling from a building site have escaped prison - due to their early guilty pleas.
Tattershall men Nicky George Colton and Stephen Wood, along with Kieran Thomas Major, of Kirkby on Bain, were caught stealing from Boston's Rosebery Meadows estate building site on February 22.
"Because you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity yo
u will not be going to prison," said District Judge Richard Blake, who had previously accused the trio of 'nicking under the cover of darkness'.
Prosecuting, Rebecca Ritson said: "The offence took place at approximately 3.45am.
"Video surveillance saw them park at Boston Enterprise Park before removing drums of cabling and air condition cabling from a skip. Lead was taken from roofs.
"Police arrived and two ran off, Colton was found hiding behind a large amount of earth."
Compensation for £250 was requested for the lead, which was now unusable.
John Storer was defending Major, of Blackwell Row, Kirkby on Bain, and Wood, of Eusden Court, Tattershall, both 19, who, he said, had been drinking.
He said the trio had visited the nearby Tesco store and then decided upon an opportunist theft.
Andrea Clarke, who was defending 22-year-old Colton, also of Eusden Court, said he was 'desperate for rent' money.
Colton and Wood were given 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £30 costs and £75 towards the compensation.
Major was unable to undertake unpaid work due to his pipe-laying job taking him away on lengthy contracts. Instead, he was fined £400 for each theft.
He must also pay £60 costs, £75 compensation and the £15 victim surcharge.
The full article contains 281 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
