Mansfield man ends up in court for trying to remove a nut from a fence to mend his broken generator

Lee Priest was caught trying to remove the nut from a building site run by Gleeson’s Homes in Sherwood Close, Mansfield, on April 23, Nottingham Magistrates’ Court was told on Friday, September 9.

Priest, 47, of Alcock Avenue, Mansfield, told police that he had attempted to take the nut to repair a generator that a neighbour had given him, the court heard.

Prosecuting, Neil Hollett told the court: “Gleeson’s Homes have a building site in Mansfield and at about 6.20pm in the evening police received reports of an intruder on the building site.

“They saw him fiddling with a fence and he told police he was trying to take a nut to mend his broken generator. He said he had gone to the field with his dog looking for a nut but was trying to take a nut from the fence. He knows it would have cost him about 20p to buy one.”

Priest was found in possession of a spanner, a can of lubricant and a socket for a wrench at the scene, the court heard.

He admitted attempted theft and going equipped when he appeared before the court.

Mitigating, Abby Edwards said that Priest is a former drug user but has turned his life around following the birth of his daughter and hadn’t offended since 2014.

“Social services had got involved because he was using heroin but so was the mother. They were warned that if they didn’t get clean the child would be removed.

His partner wasn’t able to but he did and he’s now the sole carer of his daughter.

“This was a low value theft and he had a generator given to him by his neighbour but he had never got it working and he saw the nut in the fence and thought it would fit.”

Priest was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £22 victim surcharge.

Magistrates also ordered that the spanner and other items be forfeited and destroyed.

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