Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
House raid thief is jailed for one year
Peter Donnet was traced after leaving blood smears when he targeted the house in Perth Road, Dundee, on April 3 last year.
The householder had gone to Glasgow for the day and locked up the detached property — only to return the following afternoon to find a French door had been smashed in.
Donnet, 44, was later identified as the culprit after police found a smear of blood on a piece of furniture in the woman’s bedroom.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Donnet had made off with property worth £1,144 during the raid as well as causing £1,190 of damage.
Fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie said: “The home owner returned and discovered a coin purse on the floor but didn’t think anything of it. “She then went to her bedroom where she discovered clothes strewn around.
“She then found a French door had been smashed and a fleece, which was alien to the property, had been used to cover the glass.
“Police were contacted and attended while she went to a friend’s property obviously fearing the individual was still in the house.
“Blood was later found on furniture and matched to the accused.
“There was cash, jewellery and a digital camera stolen totalling £1,144. The cost of damage was £1,190.”
Donnet, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to breaking into the house in Perth Road on April 3 last year and stealing a quantity of cash, jewellery and a digital camera.
Defence solicitor Paul Parker Smith said: “He is 44, married and his wife is present in court. He was under pressure at the time and had succumbed to taking drugs.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed Donnet for 12 months, telling him previous community sentences had failed to have any impact.
He said: “This was a concerted attempt to break into this house.
“You went in, stealing a quantity of property, and you have a bad record.
“You have previously had community service, a restriction of liberty order and a drug treatment and testing order and none have done any good.”
A THIEF who smashed his way into a woman’s home before ransacking it and making off with more than £1,000 in cash and jewellery has been jailed for a year.