Crook sneaked into woman’s house and stole money

A robber who sparked terror at a woman’s flat has been caged for nine months.

Serial thief Stephen Foy, 44, rifled Elizabeth Brown’s handbag for cash and bankcards when she heard a disturbance at her home in Lang Street, Paisley.

The town’s sheriff court heard the victim called out, thinking it was her son, when the crook suddenly fled the address, leaving her shocked and frightened at her home being ransacked during the incident on August 18 last year.

Fiscal depute Joanne Gilmour said: “The witness left her front door snibbed the night before and had gone to bed.

“Around 8.40am the following morning she was in her bedroom when she heard a noise and, when she got up, she observed a male in her living room.

“She assumed it was her son and asked; ‘What are you doing up so early?’, but received no reply, and then she realised it was not her son.

“The accused stared blankly at her then he left the house.

“She went to her living room, where she discovered her purse was missing and contents of her handbag were missing, including a small amount of cash.

“She reported the matter to police.”

The court heard Foy then struck at Morrison’s supermarket at the town’s Loanhead, where he swiped a Honeywell hand scanner from under the nose of a sales assistant at around 9.30am.

Around an hour later, he was discovered prowling around at the Sir James Clark Building, in Abbey Mill Business Centre, and, when challenged by cops, he told officers: “That’s my boy’s Tae Kwon Do building.”

Police arrested Foy on a path next to Seedhill Road and discovered bank cards, a driving licence, a quantity of paperwork and a Young Scot card, as well as the supermarket scanner.

He pled guilty to the housebreaking, theft and to being found at the Sir James Clark Building without lawful authority or any reason to be there.

Foy, of Kilnside Road, Paisley, appeared for sentence this week, where his lawyer told the court his client’s life had been married by a string of tragedies.

Defence agent Mr Cameron said: “He is a 44-year-old man with a troubled history of offending. He had been keeping out of trouble for some time.

“He had been at the funeral of his uncle and it brought back past memories.

“His sister was murdered, his mother then committed suicide and, in the aftermath, his father overdosed through alcohol abuse.

“He drank too much alcohol and took valium.

“His memories of that day are non-existent.

“He has pleaded at the earliest opportunity and is deeply remorseful that his victim would have been traumatised by his conduct.”

Sheriff Tom McCartney told the accused: “Having listened to what’s been said on your behalf, I have to consider the gravity of the offences and, given your previous convictions, a prison sentence requires to be imposed.”

He jailed Foy for seven months for housebreaking and a further two months for the other offences.