A HAVERFORDWEST man who stole more than £16,000 worth of industrial batteries and sold them on for scrap has received a suspended prison sentence.
David Roost, aged 33, admitted stealing 28 heavyweight batteries from a Vodafone mobile telephone mast site at Glasfryn, Fishguard.
Swansea crown court heard his DNA was found on insulation tape.
Hannah George, prosecuting, said Roost, of North Court, worked for a company contracted to Vodafone and he had a key to the site, where batteries were stored as backup should there be a power failure.
On March 30 of last year, Roost used a vehicle to steal the batteries, and later told police he had sold them for scrap.
“He had inside knowledge and there must have been a degree of planning involved,” she added.
Ashanti Jade-Walton, the barrister representing Roost, said the father-of-four had found himself in debt and with a wedding to finance.
“He is the main breadwinner and is still £10,000 in debt. He made a mistake and now feels ashamed at what he did,” she said.
Judge Keith Thomas said Roost, a field engineer, had been trusted with a key and had taken advantage of that trust to steal valuable equipment and to sell it on for a fraction of its worth.
Roost was jailed for 12 months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and to pay a £140 court surcharge.
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