Boat Thieves Promise Compensation After Leaving Young Sailors Stranded
Two boat thieves have been spared jail after agreeing to compensate their victims for stolen property
Llanfairfechan, Wales, Boat Theft, Compensation, Sailing Club, Quad Bike
Llanfairfechan: So, two guys decided to steal a boat and a quad bike, right? They broke into the Llanfairfechan Sailing Club and made off with a £19,000 boat and a £3,500 quad bike. Crazy, huh?
They got caught, of course. A judge at Caernarfon Crown Court heard their plan to pay back the victims. Instead of jail time, they got suspended sentences. They have two years to cough up the cash.
These guys, Samuel Philp and Craig Williams, traveled all the way from Scunthorpe and even stayed in a hotel in Wrexham. They towed the boat away in the early hours of the morning. Talk about a bold move!
One of the victims, Daniel Forbes, was really upset. He wanted to sell his quad bike to help with a mortgage. Imagine waking up to find it gone!
The sailing club had bought that boat to get young people out on the water. But after the theft, they were left scrambling to replace it. They couldn’t just buy another one like it without spending a fortune.
Thanks to CCTV, the police tracked down the thieves in their van. They pleaded guilty, and the judge wanted to see how much they could pay back before sentencing.
Today, their lawyer suggested a payment plan. Williams could pay £1,000 upfront and then £300 a month for two years. They even planned to sell their van to help cover the costs.
The judge was pretty clear: the theft disrupted the sailing club big time. He suspended their sentences but made it clear they need to pay up. They’ve got to do 100 hours of community service too.
In total, they owe £20,000—£3,500 to the quad bike owner and the rest to the sailing club. The judge expects regular payments, especially when they sell that van.
Looks like these guys have a lot of work ahead of them to make things right!