A “mean-spirited” Old Swan man pretended to be his neighbour to steal Liverpool FC FA Cup semi-final match tickets, a court heard.
Peter Richard Lay, 41, swiped a bank card belonging to his neighbour Brian Thornberry before using it to pose as the victim and pick up the tickets from the Royal Mail office in Wavertree on April 16.
The package contained tickets to the Liverpool FC vs Aston Villa cup tie on April 19, as well as tickets to Chester Races.
Lay, now of Saville Road in Old Swan, avoided jail at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today after earlier being convicted of theft of a postal packet and fraud.
Christine Wincup, prosecuting, said Mr Thornberry’s son had gone to pick up the post but was told someone posing as his dad had already collected the tickets.
She said: “Mr Thornberry went to the post office to speak to staff and requested a description of the person who had collected the tickets. The description was obtained and he thought it sounded like his neighbour, who he did not know very well.
“Staff said the male had shown a debit card in Mr Thornberry’s name.”
Mr Thornberry realised the card had been inside a letter in his letterbox, and had been taken by the defendant.
The court heard he then went home to confront Lay, and asked him if he had been to the sorting office.
He denied being there at first, until the victim called his bluff by saying he had seen CCTV of him picking up the tickets.
When Mr Thornberry demanded his tickets back the defendant handed them over, claiming he thought the post was for him.
However the victim pointed out that his name was clearly on the package and told Lay to “expect the police.”
Lay replied: “I have been civil with you, I have given you your items back.”
The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts, Liverpool Magistrates’ Court
The court heard Lay has previous convictions for fraud and was jailed for 14 months in 2007.
Gary McAteer, representing Lay, said his client had made admissions in his police interview but “inexplicably” pleaded not guilty in court.
The court heard Lay had been working as a taxi driver but had recently been forced to give up work care for his mother after she suffered a heart attack.
Mr McAteer said he has since left the address and moved in to a new property.
Magistrates described the offence as “mean spirited” and sentenced Lay to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
He was also told to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement, a thinking skills programme, and ordered to pay £620 prosecution costs, a £520 criminal court charge and an £80 victim surcharge.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/