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Haulier accused of semi-trailer theft
Page 14
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A I lAULIER who seized two semi-traih:rs after another haulier whom he claimed owed him money had ceased trading was accused of stealing them at Lincoln Crown Court.
Alan Blakey. a director of McDermott Movements Ltd. Maxibul (I lumberside) Ltd and Ro est Ltd, denied two counts of the theft of two triaxle semi trailers hired to Tristar Air Ltd by BJB Motors Ltd.
For the prosecution. Paul loffman said it was alleged that Blakey had seen a way of getting two trailers t-or nothing and had stooped to theft.
It was an example of sophisticated theft. Blakey had equipped himself with a cover story. I le claimed the trailers had been parked on his land and that he had seized them as security for a debt.
In fact, he had had the trailers removed from Iristar's premises.
Blakey had involved his solicitor at an early stage so that he could fall back on him if it was suggested that he had stolen the trailers.
The truth was that Blakey knew that there was no such debt and that he had no business removing the trailers.
One of the trailers had undergone a complete change of identity at the premises of Mcl)ermott Movements and the other had gone abroad.
Evidence was given by a tyre fitter that he had removed the wheels ti-om one of the trailers because he needed them for a nothei trailer due for test.
Ile said he had made a false statement to the police that Blakey told him to remove the wheels.
A driver employed by McDernunts said that Ile had taken the other trader for a Continental trip, just choosing one of a number of trailers in the yard.
Sidney Smaller, a director of Tristar, denied that his company had owed McDer mott Movements nearly S:6,000. Ile accepted it had owed ‘1600 for weighbridge charges; hut said that McDermom had owed Tristar 1;560 for work done and the balance had been paid by cheque.
He agreed that Tristar had
a total deficiency of S:146,450. that he had been made bankrupt in 1974 when trading as Sid Smaller Transport.
He denied that the hiring agreement had been entered into with Barrie Bright of 1.91.1 Motors at the last minute when it was realised Tristar was going into liquidation.
Charles Kelly, defending. said Blakey had been charged five years ago with the theft of trailers from his own liquidator and the main witness had been Bright. That trial was halted half-way through on the direction of the judge on the grounds that Bright's evidence was unreliable.
Blakey had set up Blakey Transport Limited in the 1970s and that company had gone iiito liquidation in 1976 after the failure of a company which owed it ‘:150,000.
Blakey was jailed for six months the following year, after .1dmitting 1ff charges of evading C25.000 in excise licence duty.
In evidence, Blakey said that Tristar owed McDerpunts money and he sent a driver to collect two of its trailers which he had thought were parked on his company's land.
When trailers arrived at McDertnotts' Scunthorpe preniises, he had tried to phone Tristar but there was no reply. The ilext day. he wrote to the liquidator saying he had put a line on the two trailers.
us intention was that the trailers stayed in the year until he got some response from the liquidator or the company's solicitor. If Bright had informed him that the trailers were his he would have released them.
The trial continues.