8:15 am, June 13, 2023
A car thief recruited his unwitting girlfriend into his criminal gang in order to steal three vehicles from a franchise dealer in Scotland, a court has been told.
Darren Malone and his criminal comrades were left short on numbers when their driver pulled out of a job at the last minute.
As a result, the 27-year-old, of roped in his university graduate girlfriend, Stephanie Lee, to help with the raid on Hawco Volkswagen in Elgin.
Despite initially being unaware of what was going on, Lee failed to back out after finding out and the couple, who are no longer together, have both now appeared in court.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the incident took place on January 14, 2021.
The Northern Scot reports that the gang stole a VW T-Roc, a VW Golf and an Audi A3, with a combined total of £64,425.
The Golf and the A3 were never recovered by police, although officers were able to track down the T-Roc and return it to the dealership.
Malone, who is currently serving a 610-day sentence for a separate offence, appeared before Sheriff Gary Aitken via video link.
He listened as the court was told that he and his gang were captured on CCTV at the dealership after earlier showing up on security footage at a petrol station in Edinburgh.
Both parties admitted to their roles in the theft and Malone was sentenced to two years behind bars.
Lee, who had no previous criminal record, sat in the dock and wiped away tears as her solicitor, Paul Dunn, addressed the court.
He said his client ‘was only in a brief relationship with Malone’ and insisted she had made no profit from the heist.
However, he did concede that she was ‘part responsible’ for what happened.
‘She has no previous convictions and was only in a brief relationship with Malone,’ said Dunn.
‘Her role was relatively minor and she had no idea initially that she was becoming involved in an unlawful enterprise.
‘But she then realised that something unlawful was to take place and she failed to take the opportunity to back out. So she is art and part responsible [a Scottish legal term denoting the aiding or abetting in the perpetration of a crime].’
Lee, of Ferry Gait, Edinburgh, will be sentenced at a later date to allow time for a background report to be prepared.
