Selby cable theft man dies

3:55pm Thursday 25th October 2007

A man who suffered a 33,000-volt electric shock when he tried to steal copper wiring from a substation has died.

Steven Smith, 43, of Cockret Court, Selby, was spotted earlier this month in the town's Bawtry Road by members of the public, who said he had severe burns.

Mr Smith, who police said had tried to take the wiring from a local electricity substation, was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, in Wakefield.

He died on Monday from the burns he suffered during the shock.

PC Simon Bradley, of Selby Police Station, warned people not to attempt to steal copper wiring, and said copper thefts were currently a big problem because of its present high value: "But people are taking big risks to steal it. Substations and places of high voltage have huge amounts of copper and resalable material, but we're warning people not to attempt to steal it, as it's very likely to harm them."