Jewels thief sold haul for small sum

A SNEAK thief sold nearly £4500 worth of valuables for just a tenth of their value.

Mark Armstrong stole a watch and gold jewellery from his friends’ house after he was asked to help them redecorate.

He sold the jewellery for just £450 at an instant cash store called Money Station in 
Bathgate, West Lothian.

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Armstrong, 38, of Bathgate, appeared for sentence at Livingston Sheriff Court yesterday after pleading guilty to committing the theft on October 25 last year.

His friends, David and Elizabeth Rarity, got all their belongings back, the court heard.

Iain Smith, defending, said: “He had a previous addiction which had caused him to build up a huge debt and he was the subject of threats.”

Armstrong was put under social work supervision for six months on a community payback order and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

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