A MAN who had sent a car to a mechanic to be repaired ended up seeing the vehicle for sale on Facebook.

Magistrates heard mechanic John Gallagher had claimed he was looking for a gear box and then a wishbone as he stalled over completing repairs. And he was paid £50 for spares before scrapping the car.

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Gallagher, 35, of Audley Range, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft of a Peugeot 206 belonging to Ayaz Hussain. He was remanded on bail for preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Tracey Yates, prosecuting, said Mr Hussain bought the car at an auction and discovered a number of defects. He asked Gallagher, who had done work for him previously, to fix the car.

Gallagher said he was having difficulty finding a gear box and then rang to say he had found one but needed £50.

“After that Mr Hussain noticed his car had been for sale on Facebook,” said Mrs Yates. “He contacted the defendant who admitted he had sold the car for £60 to a local scrap dealer because he needed the money.”

Aftab Bakhat, defending, said Mr Hussain bought cars and handed them over to his client to fix and get them ready for sale. There had never been any problems in the past,” said Mr Bakhat.