Boat-Builder Tries To Steal Yacht One Piece At A Time

ENGLAND — A worker at a boat-building firm has been caught trying to steal a luxury yacht one piece at a time.

James Light, 35, stole hundreds of yacht parts worth $133,000 over a period of seven years, Bournemouth Crown Court heard yesterday. He stole the parts from his former employer, Sunseeker.

The case was compared to the Johnny Cash song One Piece At A Time, in which a Cadillac assembly line worker steals parts from the factory to build his own car.

A Sunseeker spokesman said he believed Light, who had worked for the company for 11 years, intended to build a boat.

“It appears that Mr Light was going to use the parts to build his own boat,” the spokesman told the Daily Mail.

“I don’t think he had enough to build an entire Sunseeker, but he certainly could have used them for a smaller boat.”

Among the stolen items — meant for the 16m Sunseeker motoryachts worth $2.4 million – were electrical components, a 1.2m radar mast, a widescreen TV, lifting straps and sternlights.

They were stored in more than 100 boxes at a lock-up garage in Bournemouth.

Light claimed he obtained the parts legitimately from a third party, but admitted charges of theft and handling stolen goods.

Light also admitted cultivating cannabis and possessing ecstasy tablets, cocaine and cannabis.

He was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of community service.

JOKESTARTERS:

• I can see how someone could steal a lot from a yacht factory, but how the hell did he get everything out? Did he stuff the mast down his pants and tell everyone he was just happy to see them?
• As my Mama once said to me, yacht not to steal, mi’boy.

SOURCE:

• News.com.au