Battery thief tracked by homing beacon from Worksop

A thief was traced to his home address by a tracking beacon fitted to the £1,000 pack of batteries he stole from a company in Worksop, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

A staff member found the beacon and battery casings outside Samuel Fowler’s Forge Lane home, in Killamarsh, on August 17.

Fowler told police he found the pack of ten batteries, worth £1,000, and sold them for a “wholly nominal sum” at a local scrapyard, said prosecutor Emma Heath-Tilford.

The firm, based on Steetly Lane, Rhodesia, had to “up their security” after a spate of thefts, she said.

Fowler also drove a friend to the One Stop Shop, in Old Whittington, Chesterfield, at 7.20am, on May 7, where his pal grabbed £125 from the till, and the pair fled.

The 23-year-old admitted two counts of theft when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Monday.

The court heard he was “lightly convicted”, and his last conviction was in 2012.

Tim Haines, mitigating, said: “He has been trying to address the issues at the root of his offending. The catalyst is drug misuse.

“He lost his job as a drainage engineer and has been signed off for six weeks by his GP.”

Fowler was given a 12 month community order with a four week curfew, from 7pm to 7am, which will be electronically monitored.

He was also given ten days of a drug rehabilitation activity, and ordered to attend a drugs programme. He must pay compensation to the firm, and £85 court costs.

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