Texaco garage fuel thefts: brothers stole from Bath Road and Blackpole

Mark Payne-Lundy and his half-brother Connor Weston filled up containers with £320 of fuel from two Worcester petrol stations, making off with the fuel on foot.

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Payne-Lundy, 33, of St Paul's Hostel, Worcester and Weston, 23, of no address, admitted two offences of making off without payment when he appeared before magistrates in Worcester on Thursday.

GUILTY: Mark Payne-Lundy. Photo: West Mercia Police

The offences happened at the Texaco garage in Blackpole on March 10 when £154 of fuel was taken and at the Texaco forecourt in Bath Road, Worcester, on March 13 when £165 of fuel was taken. Payne-Lundy further admitted a charge of possession of cannabis on March 13.

Eleanor Peart, prosecuting, said the two co-defendants were half brothers. During the first theft they took 89.3 litres (£154.77) in three containers.

In the second they used four containers to remove 95.44 litres at a value of £165.98 'again making off without making any attempt to pay'.

GUILTY: Connor Weston. Photo: West Mercia Police

However, this was witnessed by DC Joshua Hunt and they were arrested. Payne-Lundy had £5 of cannabis which he said was for his own personal use.

In interview, Payne-Lundy made full admissions and said that 'his role was to assist with carrying the fuel away from the forecourt'.

His last dishonesty conviction was shoplifting from 2017.

Jo Outhwaite, for Payne-Lundy, said he had been 'perfectly candid' about the offence and he had told her 'the offences were not his idea'.

"He accepts he went along with the suggestion. He wasn't forced into the scenario. It wasn't his idea either. He accepts he was very foolish. He accepts he shouldn't have behaved in that way. He's thoroughly ashamed" said Mrs Outhwaite.

She said his last conviction was 2019 and his last dishonesty conviction was in 2017. "He had hoped to get himself on the right track and feels somewhat disappointed at this blip," she said.

"He tells me he doesn't drink anymore" she added.

However, Gary Harper, for Weston, said his client was 'more of a sheep than a shepherd' in the enterprise.

Magistrates fined both defendants £200 each for the two making without payment offences.

The fuel was recovered from the March 13 offence. Magistrates ordered each defendant to pay half the cash in compensation for the March 10 offence (£77 each).

Each man was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £40. Magistrates ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis.