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A 25-YEAR-old former Amman Valley man has been told he will not face jail despite admitting selling off thousands of pounds worth of his father’s business equipment.
Christian John Garland, of 3 Derwen Deg in Pontardawe, admitted selling scaffolding and a lorry belonging to dad Brian Cooper in June 2010 and pocketing the cash without his father’s knowledge.
Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told the court that on June 9, Garland sold £220 worth of scaffolding equipment to a rival firm.
The following day he sold the same firm another £800 worth of scaffolding and some days later sold another £600 worth of equipment.
Garland also sold his father’s Leyland DAF lorry for £600 on June 14.
Ammanford magistrates were told that Mr Cooper had been serving a jail term at the time of the thefts and was unaware of the sell-off.
Ms Vaughan told the court that Garland has been given the keys to his father’s business premises in Glanaman because the firm was facing mounting debts in Mr Cooper’s absence.
Garland had initially claimed he was selling off the equipment to meet outstanding rent arrears on the premises.
Hywel Davies, defending, told the court that Garland had worked for his father prior to the latter’s imprisonment.
“When his dad went into custody he was left running the unit,” said Mr Davies.
“Business went downhill and he started selling off the items to pay the bills.
“However he does accept that he did not give anything back to his father.”
The court was told that Garland had spent all the money raised on new clothes.
“His relationship with his father had now broken down because of this,” said Mr Davies.
Magistrates adjourned sentencing for the completion of probation reports, but told Garland that even though he could be sent to jail for the thefts, they would limit his sentence to a high-level community order.
Garland will next appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on March 9 for sentencing.
