Washing machine thief spun odd yarn

His own solicitor said that he would never win a certificate for being the brain of Britain but a Black Country thief got himself in a spin when he stole his sister's £400 washing machine and sold it for £150.

He then cooked up a harebrained story for police. William Sankey, of Hawbush Road, Leamore, Walsall, tried to explain the washing machine's disappearance to his sister saying that it had fallen from the roof of his car as he went over a speed bump in a police chase.

But Walsall Magistrates were unimpressed and sentenced him to 12 weeks in jail.

The 26-year-old had been asked by his sister to take her £421.54 Whirlpool washing machine to their mother's house on August 30.

Instead, he advertised it on a website and pocketed £150, before spinning his elaborate yarn to his disbelieving sister.

Sankey pleaded guilty to one count of theft when he appeared at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mr Kully Khaira, prosecuting, told the court that Sankey had originally told his sister that the washing machine had fallen off the roof of his car during a police chase but changed his story when interviewed by officers.

Mr Khaira said: "He was arrested and interviewed by police.

"His first explanation was that he had placed the machine on the top of his car and when he went over a speed bump it fell off."

But Mr Nayan Patel, defending, said that it was not the most sophisticated of offences.

"If certificates were being given out for the brains of Britain, I think he would be the last individual to get one," said Mr Patel.

"His friends egged him on in order to sell it.

"When he thought about it he came up with an excuse. He said the machine had fallen off the back of his car."

He added: "He was going to be caught out at one stage or another."

Magistrates said that they were "not impressed" by Sankey's attitude and string of previous convictions and sentenced him to prison.

They said that he had also demonstrated a lack of remorse, while his failure to fulfil previous community sentences handed to him in the past had led to the jail term.