A young thief who stole almost £25,000 worth of cars and bikes over three nights has blamed his bad behaviour on the Covid lockdown.
Dylan Thompson was aged 21 when he carried out four high-value thefts of vehicles from homes in the Broomhill, Cults and Torry areas of Aberdeen.
He also struck in Ellon during the crime spree in August 2020.
The 24-year-old acted alongside another male as they stole two cars, a quad bike and a motorcycle.
Police caught up with Thompson after he was caught on CCTV camera and left his DNA and fingerprints at the crime scenes.
But the serial offender was spared jail – despite the bikes never being recovered – when his lawyer claimed he’d turned his life around since “struggling with the Covid lockdown”.
Thompson stole two cars in one night
Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that Thompson took the first car – a silver Mercedes-Benz worth £5,000 – from a driveway on Hillview Road in Cults, on August 14 2020.
The vehicle owners had locked it the night before but woke up to the sound of their home alarm sounding at 4.45am, when they realised that the car was missing.
Police found the car parked and locked in nearby Cults Gardens and Thompson had been caught on CCTV camera behind the wheel on Cults Avenue.
His DNA was found on the door handle of the Mercedes.
The same night, he stole a silver Renault worth £12,000 from outside a home in Salisbury Place, Aberdeen.
Its owner reported the theft the following morning and officers found it parked less than a mile away on Bloomfield Road.
Thompson’s DNA was detected on a button.
Just four days later in Ellon, Thompson broke into a locked van to steal a quad bike.
This time, as well as DNA evidence, he used his own mobile phone to record video footage of the theft.
He entered the black Vauxhall van on Dunnottar Road and removed the white Yamaha quad bike, which already had its key in the ignition.
Video on Thompson’s mobile showed him and his accomplice stealing the bike and using hand signals as it was being driven away.
Thompson’s final offence was the theft of a motorbike, helmet and gloves – altogether worth £4,280.
He stole the property by pulling six panels out of a garden fence on Morven Place in Aberdeen, where he broke into a locked shed.
The thief left his DNA and fingerprints on the fence.
‘Making different lifestyle choices now’
The total value of stolen goods totalled £24,780 and neither the quad bike nor the motorcycle has ever been recovered, the court was told.
Appearing in the dock, Thompson pled guilty to four charges of theft.
His defence agent Debbie Ginniver said her client had been “struggling with the Covid lockdown”.
She explained that his offending was the result of negative peer influences and a struggle with his mental health.
“He has matured and is here today to take full responsibility,” she said.
“He is making different lifestyle choices now. He offers his unreserved apology to everybody affected and acknowledges that includes not just those who had property taken but their whole communities.”
The solicitor added that Thompson is a full-time carer for his grandfather.
Sheriff Andrew Miller ordered Thompson, of Burgess Place in Countesswells, to carry out 170 hours of unpaid work and placed him under one year of supervision.
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