Over £110,000 worth of equipment was stolen from Highland yard
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Equipment was stolen from a peat excavation company yard by the former business associate of a well-known Inverness entrepreneur.
The incident happened in August 2018 when 51-year-old Alexander Ferguson, now of Broad Street, Glasgow, broke into the Moy Moss compound near Dalmagarry with others and removed several items of heavy machinery.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that most of the stolen goods were recovered, although a £15,000 JCB telehandler was still missing.
Ferguson appeared before Sheriff Ian Cruickshank and admitted the theft by opening lockfast premises and had sentence deferred until July 17 for a background report.
However the sheriff wanted to know from Ferguson's solicitor Lysney Barber if her client had plans or had been repaying the loss.
After consulting with Ferguson, the lawyer said: "He has £10,000 in savings available to him."
The sheriff then told Ferguson that the money had better be available at the next calling or "there will be consequences."
Fiscal depute Robert Weir had told the court that Ferguson and Mr MacGregor had previously been operating together in business for a number of years although there was no formal arrangement.
Mr Weir said that Mr MacGregor had received a phone call from an employee to notify him of the theft and the police were contacted.
"Mr MacGregor thereafter made his own enquiries into the incident and apprised the police of the information. He identified parties involved in transporting and the recipient of some of the vehicles who in turn implicated the accused as being responsible," he added.
The prosecutor said that after Ferguson's arrest his mobile phones were seized and analysis of them revealed audio files implicating him in the thefts.
Mr Weir said that one was to his father on the day of the theft.
It said: "Right, I know I can, I know I can trust you to keep your mooth shut right. Never mention this. I've got five low loaders sitting here the now. I am f...... emptying his f....... place."
Mr MacGregor valued the stolen property as £110,000 with the unrecovered vehicle valued at £15,000, Mr Weir concluded.
