A BOSS of bricklaying firm, who tried to sell a hired cherry picker worth £16,000 for less than half price on a website after pretending it was stolen, has been jailed for eight months.

Colin Cooper, the owner of St Helens Repointing and Bricklaying Services on Rivington Road, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court.

The 27-year-old, who had financial problems, told police that the machinery had been stolen but his lies unravelled when a suspicious prospective customer for the equipment saw a £1,000 reward had been offered by the owners.

Sentencing him, Judge Andrew Menary QC, said: “This court is well aware that the theft of items of plant, machinery and materials involved in the construction industry has reached epidemic proportions around the country.

“There is a very real problem for those working in the construction industry.

“Those operating building sites know they cannot leave materials or equipment on site because the theft of such items is happening all the time causing very serious financial loss.”

The judge said that Cooper’s explanation that he had been let down by the hire company and also found their customer service “poor and rude” and so decided to sell the cherry picker to annoy them was “bizarre".

The cherry picker was damaged and the judge said that he believed that was by Cooper trying to find a tracking device which is routinely attached to this kind of equipment.

With the cost of the damage and the reward the hire company was £7,278 out of pocket.

Cooper, from Upholland pleaded guilty to theft and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, told the court how on January 9 Cooper hired a cherry picker but the one he got was not the one he had wanted as it was unavailable.

Within a couple of days, he reported to police that it had been stolen from his business premises, however he had advertised it on the Gumtree website for £5,600.

A potential buyer came to see it but was not satisfied by his reason for selling it so did not buy it.

He later saw the hire company was offering a £1,000 reward for information about the missing item and contacted them.

Tom Watson, defending, said that Cooper needed the equipment for work he was carrying out at The Auberge restaurant in Southport and the one he got was unsuitable.

“He allowed his frustration and perhaps even temper to get the better of him and his ability to reason.

“It was outrageous dishonesty, it was utterly stupid.”