Two men who stole £6k worth of goods from Boots in Galashiels avoid jail
Last updated 2nd Oct 2023
Two men who admitted stealing more than £6,000 worth of goods from Boots in Galashiels have avoided a custodial sentence.
Charlie Ward, who's 20 and from Oxford, and Martin McDonagh, who's 18 and from Leicester, filled four bags full of beauty products and electrical items at the Gala Water Retail Park outlet on May the 12th last year before fleeing, having made no attempt to pay.
However, Selkirk Sheriff Court today (Monday) heard they were caught soon after crashing their getaway vehicle nearby.
McDonagh was also found guilty of driving dangerously - between neighbouring Greenbank Street and Croft Street - by failing to give way at a junction and colliding with a van, while Ward also admitted failing to tell police the name of the driver when asked.
Solicitor Liam Alexander, who represented them in court, described the late afternoon theft as "opportunistic".
He said: "I have seen CCTV of this and it wasn't a professional job."
And he added: "They are lucky in that there was full recovery (of the stolen property)."
Ward and McDonagh were each made the subject of an 18-month Community Payback Order, with supervision, and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
McDonagh was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, and must resit the extended test.
But, passing sentence, Sheriff Joseph Platt noted the "substantial sums" involved and warned them any breach of the order could see them return to court - with custody still an option.
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