'Cynical' thief kept £38,000 from sale of caravan on park

A MAN who stole £38,000 after a caravan was sold has been jailed for 16 months. Kirk McBeth admitted the theft.

- By DAVID POWELL

The 27-year-old defendant repaid £15,000 of that sum to the caravan's owner Philip Horton but a prosecutor called the timing of one repayment, just before a hearing, "cynical". And a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court said McBeth made "some effort" to repay the total sum in three £5,000 chunks but he did so "almost on a last minute basis...at the eleventh hour".

She said McBeth, of Awel y Mor, Pwllheli, also wrongly said a bank account had been frozen and committed other offences while waiting for his prosecution for theft to proceed.

The court heard Mr Horton had bought the caravan, which was on a plot at Greenacres holiday park in Porthmadog, for £67,277 in September 2021. Later Mr Horton contacted Beeline Caravan Traders in May 2022 wishing to sell his caravan.