Man admits fuel theft

Freddy Whaley 47, of Victoria Street pleaded guilty to stealing 100 litres of red diesel from Total Reclaim Demolitions on 4th May.

The site owners suspected diesel was being siphoned from their vehicles and police investigators took photographs at the scene, where his vehicle was parked.

Whaley who appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday said he had been visited by a man who asked him to help load canisters into his car.

He said he had not known what he was doing was a crime.

He had driven the man away from the scene and accepted participating to that degree.

Magistrates heard Whaley was in breach of an eight-week suspended sentence imposed in March. He was given a three month community order with 70 hours unpaid work, costs of £85, victim surcharge of £60 and criminal court costs of £180.