A 61-year-old Welsh man who was found with a forklift that had been reported stolen from his employer claimed that the whole thing was just a big mix-up.
But a British court found Philip Kirby guilty of theft and ordered him to pay $1,244 to his employer and $777 in court costs. He also was ordered to complete 180 hours of community service.
Kirby had been a freelance salesman for Lift West, a forklift sales business in Bridgend, Wales. He apparently had sold the forklift to another person then failed to turn the money over to his employer, police said.
When interviewed by detectives, Kirby claimed the whole thing was a “misunderstanding”. He claimed that he put the check for $3,578 in his home safe and intended to bring it to Lift West the following day, but that his wife had taken the check believing the money to be theirs. He later admitted that he had made the whole thing up.
When the forklift was returned to Lift West, its identification numbers had been filed off from different parts of machinery.
Kirby’s defense attorney, Nicholas Gedge, said his actions were “completely out of character.”
“He is a man who has led a highly industrious and successful life,” Gedge said. “It’s been ups and downs and he’s currently on a down.”