Man arrested for abstracting electricity at his home in Bramley after tampering with British Gas meter

Ross Hemmingway was arrested at his home in Bramley after a revenue protection officer for the company attended the property and discovered that the electricity supply had been tampered with.

The 34-year-old was handed a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

He pleaded guilty to abstracting electricity without authority at Leeds Magistrates Court last month.

Prosecutor Jessica Randell said the electricity supply was cut off at the property on Waterloo Lane on August 14 last year after a similar incident.

A British Gas revenue protection officer attended the house to fit a pay-as-you-go meter on March 16 this year.

The officer discovered the supply had been tampered with and unsafely reconnected without a meter.

Leeds Crown Court heard it was discovered the amount of electricity Hemmingway had used plus the cost of the investigation amounted to £1,887.

Hemmingway, now of Bellmount Close, has seven previous convictions for seven offences, including production of cannabis and breaching a suspended sentence order.

Alexandra Sutton, mitigating, said her client previously worked as a plasterer but was unable to work after injuring his hand.

She said the defendant had started re-paying British Gas and has set up a car valeting business.

Judge Christopher Batty told Hemmingway he was willing to impose a non-custodial sentence because the offence was not linked to any other criminal offending and he was impressed with the progress he had made since his arrest.