A man who claimed to have found a Rolex watch in a bin outside his home in Douglas has admitted charges of theft and deception.
William Robert Callow, of Clifton Terrace, Douglas, told police he found the Rolex pocket watch in the bin when he was outside disposing of household waste on October 13 last year.
The 50-year-old took the watch and sold it on to Chrystals’ auctioneers for £200, telling them he was the owner.
In fact the watch had been bought mail order for £335 by Callow’s neighbour in the same block of flats.
Wondering why his purchase had apparently not arrived, the neighbour was perusing Chrystals’ online auction site when he spotted the watch and recognised it as his own.
The court heard the watch was returned to its rightful owner but Chrystals was left £200 out of pocket.
Callow’s advocate Stephen Wood said: ‘It is worth highlighting the fact that the actual circumstances were that he was putting rubbish in the bin when he saw what he thought was a broken watch in the bin.
‘He did take it into his possession but he did not know it was his neighbour’s, so it is not correct to describe it as a mean offence against a neighbour. How could he have known?
‘Having found the watch in the bin, he then accepts his position in law: it does not become legal simply to take possession of it.’
Mr Wood told the court, thinking the watch ‘may be of some value’, he took it to the auction house and there perpetrated a deception by holding himself out as the owner with authority to sell it.
He said his client had immediately admitted being guilty of theft by finding.
‘His offending has slowed down and he is not a well man. He is on sickness benefit and has a support worker who comes to see him,’ he said.
He said Callow was still on good terms with his neighbour but asked for compensation for Chrystals.
Sentencing him, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said Callow had an ‘unenviable’ record but noted his offending had slowed down considerably in recent years, but she noted: ‘This may be due to your age and lack of mobility.’
She told him: ‘It would be a serious aggravating factor if the watch had been posted to your neighbour and you took it knowing that, but I sentence you on the basis that it was found by you in the bin.’
He received a total of 12 weeks’ custody, suspended for two years. He is to pay costs of £125 as well as £200 compensation to Chrystals.