Thief who stole drilling equipment worth £28,000 jailed

A thief caught stealing £28,000 of drilling equipment in Aberdeen after crashing his getaway truck nearby has been jailed.

Hughie Stewart, 28, stole from International Tubular Services Ltd in the Altens area last November.

He had been informed he was not entitled to benefits following the loss of his job, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.

Stewart admitted theft and was jailed for 16 months.

The court hears he had planned to sell the goods as scrap metal and was "amazed" to find out how much it was worth.