A 22-year-old man from Scotland has admitted travelling to the island equipped for a banking scam.

Connor Robert McClung was arrested at the Sea Terminal with three mobile phones and a laptop containing long lists of bank details, thousands of sort codes and telephone numbers.

He also had a script relating to a Lloyds telephone banking scam.

McClung was disembarking the ferry on January 27.

It is alleged that he intended to buy sim cards which had the ability to send scamming messages en masse.

On Thursday he pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of articles for use in frauds as well as importing cannabis and a class C drug.

McClung was committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing and will appear there on April 8.

Defence advocate Stephen Wood said that the maximum sentence for the offence is six years so it was beyond the summary court jurisdiction.

Mr Wood said that his client was pleading guilty to the two drug importation charges on the basis that the drugs were for his own personal use, which had been accepted by the prosecution.

The advocate asked for a probation report to be prepared before sentencing.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction and agreed to commit the case to the higher court for sentencing.

McClung, who lives at Avendale Crescent, Armadale, West Lothian, has been granted bail with conditions that he reside at probation accommodation Tromode House, that he surrender his passport, report to police headquarters on a Monday and Friday between 12 and 2pm, and not leave the island without court consent.

A 16-year-old youth, also from Scotland, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded not guilty to four counts of possession of articles for use in fraud.

A pre-trial review will be held for him in summary court on April 13.

He was represented in court by advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge.

Bail has been granted for him and he has been allowed to return to Scotland.