Three are jailed over cable ripped off Stourbridge poles
Three men have each been jailed for 18 months after cable was pulled from telegraph poles, cutting off telephone and broadband services to nearly 50 homes and businesses in the Stourbridge area.
Jonathan Lowe and James Webley took the valuable cable, which was then taken to the home of Stephen Noott so it could be cut up into smaller pieces and sold for scrap.
Lowe, aged 36, of Field Lane, Oldswinford, and Webley, 30, of Belbroughton Road, Blakedown, both admitted stealing the cable from telegraph poles in Brake Lane, Hagley, on July 15 last year.
Noott, 28, of Queensway, Wollescote, pleaded guilty to handling the cable when he knew it had been stolen.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday, Judge Michael Challinor rejected the basis behind their pleas.
Webley and Lowe had maintained they found the cable while off-roading in a Land Rover and had taken it to Noott who had agreed to store it as a favour.
Emergency
But, after carefully considering the facts in the case, Judge Challinor said: "The true picture jumps out. I am quite sure the two men were involved in the theft of the cable, stripping it from poles.
"They arranged to leave it with Noott who knew he was handing recently stolen cable.
"This was a deliberate theft of telephone cable for its scrap value.
"The harm you did was greatly increased by the fact 49 homes were cut off and a pub business was not able to function."
Judge Challinor said an emergency could have arisen in the Iverley area and might not have been dealt with promptly because of the theft.
The court was told 600 metres had been taken from between 11 poles.
Mr Mark Phillips, prosecuting, said a neighbour had seen Lowe and Webley take 70 metres of cable to the home of Noott.
He said it was in the process of being cut into smaller lengths when police called at the property. Mr Phillips added the other 535 metres of cable had not been recovered.
Repairs had cost £6,700 to carry out and it had been nearly five weeks before services were restored, the court heard.
The 600 metres of cable was worth £1,206 while the 70 metres recovered from the home of Noott had a scrap value of just £123.
Judge Challinor added: "People looking to make easy money attacking services and utilities must know they will go to prison."
