A man whose speedboat was stolen from Ullswater was given a middle finger gesture by the brazen thief as he made off with the £2,000 vessel and a trailer on the A66.
Holidaymaker David Barber was in the Lake District and staying at a campsite in the Howtown area with his partner and a couple of friends.
On 25th June he was using the boat on Ullswater but was unable to remove it from the water as his vehicle had broken down.
“He managed to get the boat on to a trailer,” prosecutor George Shelley told Carlisle Magistrates’ Court, “but was unable to fully remove it from the lake.”
A bystander, 29-year-old Jamie Brand, had a red Subaru Forester with a tow bar. He provided assistance to Mr Barber and the boat was towed from the water. A local farmer then agreed that the speedboat and trailer could be left behind a campsite barn.
But Brand then made off with the speedboat. “It was whilst driving on the A66 eastbound some hours later that the vehicle Mr Barber was driving was overtaken by the red Subaru, driven by Mr Brand,” said Mr Shelley.
“Mr Barber immediately recognised the driver — recognised the boat and his trailer and signalled for him to pull over.
“He was shown the middle finger, then called the police and tried to follow the vehicle in order to assist the police in securing his property back. The property was eventually returned following police intervention. The goods were returned intact to Mr Barber.”
In court, Brand, of Grove Mount, Kirby, Pontefract, admitted theft of the speedboat from the Pooley Bridge area.
After hearing submissions from Brand’s solicitor, magistrates adjourned the case. Brand is due to be sentenced for the theft on a date to be fixed, and remains remanded in custody in the meantime.
