Two teenagers have gone on trial accused of stealing a supercar and a luxury 4×4 from the driveway of a mansion in one of Aberdeen’s plushest areas
Connor Smart and Jason Grant deny taking the £100,000 Lamborghini Gallardo and a £70,000 BMW X5 as the owners slept inside their home at Oakhill Grange.
The pair are accused of breaking into the property in August and taking three sets of keys – including those for an Aston Martin Vanquish which was parked outside – from a kitchen work top.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, a jury heard the white Lamborghini was recovered in the early hours of the morning after it crashed into a red van at Lewis Road, in the Sheddocksley area of the city, about two miles from where it was allegedly taken.
In a joint minute read out to the jury, fiscal depute Saima Rasheed said it was not disputed by either side that the sports car was discovered in the middle of the carriageway with the headlights on, and had suffered extensive damage as a result of the collision, which left the van on its side.
The teenagers deny all four charges against them, which also include stealing a television, a handbag containing £200 in cash, a wallet with £300 in it, four iPhones and three iPads.
Smart, 18, has lodged a special defence, claiming he has an alibi.
Grant, 17, also claims he has an alibi, and has lodged another defence of incrimination.
The joint minute also confirmed that the owner of the cars and goods, Colin Crichton, had logged on to his computer that night and managed to locate his “stolen” iPhone to a property at Cummings Road – the house next door to where Smart had been living.
Yesterday, the court heard from medical student, Kimberly Murdoch, who was staying in another house on the estate on the night of the alleged theft, August 4.
The 26-year-old said she heard a “revving” noise coming from outside, so looked through her bedroom window as she thought it was a “strange” time of night.
“Within the development there’s a number of high performance motor vehicles,” she said.
“I thought it was either the Bentley or the Aston Martin.
“I noticed that both of my neighbours’ cars were there and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I turned to go back to bed.”
But she said the revving started again.
“I went back to the window and waited by the window,” she said.
“I waited until I saw a car drive past.”
She said she recognised the white Lamborghini which belonged to her neighbour.
She told the court she could see a man driving the sports car away – and that it seemed he did not know how to drive it.
“It appeared the driver wasn’t familiar with driving that type of vehicle,” she said.
“The revving was extremely loud for the speed that the car was trying to go at.”
Mrs Murdoch pointed to Grant in the dock when asked if she could identify the person she had seen that night.
His solicitor, David Sutherland, asked her if she was sure.
He said the description she gave to police on the day of the alleged crime – that the man she saw had a “muscular” build – was different to his client’s slim frame.
“That was my description of his build, however I didn’t describe his face,” she said.
“That is the gentleman’s face.”
The trial continues.