A man helped steal radiators in a night time metal raid at Long Sutton’s closed Crown and Woolpack pub.
Luke Portor (22), of Barge Close, Spalding, went off with a friend in a van at midnight after his wife received a call asking him to help with a job.
Marie Stace, prosecuting, told Spalding magistrates that a resident heard noises at the pub at about 2am on November 2 and saw two men carrying items from the disused premises, which they then placed on the front seat of the van.
The witness lost sight of them but then saw the men return to the van carrying what appeared to be metal piping.
She said police stopped the van at 2.50am in Whaplode.
No metal was found, but Portor admitted burglary and theft of metal in his police interview.
She said Portor told police they were disturbed at the scene and the van was driven off without him.
Portor said he was picked up ten minutes later.
Solicitor Daven Naghen, mitigating, said Portor was “essentially the muscle” to help carry the metal.
He said the pub had been subject to previous burglaries, was not in a good state of repair and was being renovated.
Portor fully admitted his involvement although the van was stopped eight miles away and there was no metal inside.
“He accepts he was foolish to get involved in this,” said Mr Naghen.
Since the offence, Portor had been on a police-imposed curfew and had lost the chance to do night shifts at work.
Magistrates on Thursday gave Portor a 12-month community order with 180 hours unpaid work.
He must also pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.