Scotsman Imprisoned After 9 Months Of Hiding Out In Thailand

[sriracha john]

16 MONTHS 4 U

He had served his country, supported his family and secured a responsible job. Former Marine Stephen Bangs had an exemplary record and was in a position of trust as manager of a mobile phone store.

But, while working for the Aberdeen branch of Phones 4 U, the 46-year-old was hatching a plot to rob the shop.

And the previously law-abiding, respectable citizen turned overnight from businessman to fugitive after he fled with £24,000-worth of stock and another £4,000 in takings. ( 1,771,265 Thai Baht ).

Bangs flew to Thailand, and for nine months he remained on the run.

But this week the law caught up with him when he was jailed for 16 months after blowing the cash.

The mystery of why he turned thief has never been explained.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Bangs has not come up with any reason. A broken relationship and a throwaway comment about a woman in Thailand only added to the enigma.

His solicitor was able to offer little to the court to explain his client's crime, and Sheriff Alexander Jessop said it seemed to have been "a moment of complete and utter aberration".

Bangs, who had earlier admitted theft of 182 mobile phones plus various accessories and embezzlement of £4,000, committed both crimes last January.

Depute fiscal Gertie Wallace said on the weekend of the offence Bangs told staff at the Union Street store that they should ask customers to pay cash and tell them the card machines were not working.

Bangs told workers he was closing early on a Sunday to catch a train to Glasgow for a meeting.

He was the last to leave the premises at about 4.45pm. The following day a member of staff, trying to open up, found Bangs' keys between the shutters and the door and the alarm code changed.

When they tried to contact him his phone was switched off.

Police found out that, within 45 minutes of leaving the store, Bangs had arrived at Aberdeen Airport, boarded a flight for Heathrow and then caught a plane to Bangkok.

He paid cash for the £797 flights, booked the previous morning, and also paid an astonishing £681 in an excess baggage fee.

He had a return ticket to come back to Aberdeen on May 4 but did not board that flight. A warrant was issued for his arrest and, when he turned up at Heathrow on September 18, he was detained. Bangs, of 23 Wordsworth Court, Caversham, Reading, admitted "I did it and left the country."

Defence agent Neil McRobert said: "Nothing can justify or explain why this happened.

"There had been a breakdown in a relationship. This is not put forward as an excuse."

"He knew he would get caught eventually."

Perplexed, Sheriff Jessop said: "He served his country, seemed to have an excellent record, comes to civilian life, gets a good job, builds his reputation there and then he blows it...did he just have a good time in Thailand?"

Bangs has recently been working as a waiter. And, as he starts prison life, the reason for his fall from grace is no clearer.

But he will no doubt be reflecting on the sheriff's comment: "Whether you consider it was worth it or not, I don't know."

Aberdeen Press & Journal (UK)

==============================================================================

Original story of his arrest...

Manager accused of cash and phones theft from shop

A man has appeared in court accused of stealing thousands of pounds and mobile phones from an Aberdeen shop.

Stephen Bangs, understood to be the former manager of the Phones 4 U store on the city's Union Street, allegedly stole the goods and a four-figure sum from the company in January. It is understood he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday night.

Bangs, 45, was ordered to surrender his passport and not apply for a new one, as part of bail conditions imposed at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.

Bangs, of 23 Wordsworth Court, Caversham, Reading, made no plea during the brief appearance, held in private before Sheriff Douglas Cusine yesterday.

Grampian Police had said Bangs, previously of Aberdeen, would appear at the court on Tuesday, but on the day it emerged he was still in the back of a Reliance van, being transported from London.

The prisoner escort service had collected him from Heathrow at 2am on Tuesday. They were due to pick him up at 10pm on Monday.

- Financial Times / September 21, 2006

[Neeranam]

Sheriff Alexander Jessop

I never thought I'd see tht guy's name again. He must be 80 by now.

[qwertz]

More bucks for your Bangs?

[Carmine6]

I don't get it. Yes he paid an excess baggage fee, but surely that was household goods and clothing rather than a lot of cell phones. Don't the UK and EU have imei blocking for stolen phones? In which case he turned criminal for maybe £6,000? £8,000?

[JimsKnight]

Old enough to know better. Guess he wanted one last roll of the dice in Thailand.

Wonder if anyone on TV met him?

If he'd had his head screwed on right he'd of been able to lie low in Thailand, wait out the five year arrest warrant and relocate to somewhere back in the UK (preferably away from Scotland!)

Hope he gets the book chucked at him.

[sriracha john]

Hope he gets the book chucked at him.

as per OP, he was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment.

[puuchai299]

Surprised he didn't change the shops name to Phones4me.

[ajarnmark]

I don't get it. Yes he paid an excess baggage fee, but surely that was household goods and clothing rather than a lot of cell phones. Don't the UK and EU have imei blocking for stolen phones? In which case he turned criminal for maybe £6,000? £8,000?

This can be adjusted easily, as they can change IMEI

[colino]

you can change the IME number it's very easy to do in the uk it is an offence to change it but here you can get the software no problem

[Rinrada]

So now its been reported that the Aberdeen police have sent out a couple of their more experienced officers to spend a few weeks goung around MBK and Secon Squre looking for the 182 mobile phones for evidence...

Right Mr Taggert where do you suggest we start....

[mrtoad]

If you're gonna to a crime like that, you might as well make it wothwhile. 1.7 mill Bht, hardly seems like a lot of dosh. Oh well, another example of some of the criminal masterminds that hide out here in Thailand.

[jayjayjayjay]

The mystery of why he turned thief has never been explained.

Defence agent Neil McRobert said: "Nothing can justify or explain why this happened.

Reason clear, this guy used his head between his legs, not the main one!!!

Got to like him, he went out in style. 555555555555555 No excused, not reason 5555555 what a gem!!!