Woman stole £1000 from soup kitchen user

A Perth woman befriended a vulnerable 49-year-old man she met at a soup kitchen in a local church.

But Ann Black, of Dunkeld Road, stole his bank card from him as he lay sleeping in his flat.

She then stole £500 from his account after watching him key in his PIN code at a nearby city centre supermarket.

The 43-year-old waited until just after midnight so she could plunder a further £500 from his account.

Her actions were branded“despicable and reprehensible”by Sheriff William Wood.

But she was spared a jail sentence when she appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Thursday.

Instead she was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and will be supervised for the next 12 months.

During that time she will attend the Offending Women’s Learning Service course.

In addition she must pay £1000 compensation to the victim. £115.47 which she had when she was arrested will be used to help repay the stolen cash.

She admitted stealing the bank card from the man’s house in St Catherine’s Square, Perth, on September 6.

She then stole £1000 from the cash machine at Morrison’s supermarket, Caledonian Road, on September 6 and 7.

Depute fiscal Carol Whyte said they had gone together to the supermarket and he had used his bank card in her presence.

“She attended at the complainer’s home address, where they had a number of drinks together.

“He felt quite drunk and fell asleep. He recalls waking at one point and seeing her looking about.”

The first £500 was taken late on the night of September 6 and the second at 12 minutes after midnight.

He realised his bank card was missing about 2pm that afternoon and discovered the two withdrawals had been made.

Black was traced a week later but told police:“I never stole it. I was given it.” None of the stolen cash was recovered. Solicitor Paul Ralph said his client was in a position to carry out unpaid work as an alternative to a jail term, as well as pay compensation.

Sheriff Wood said that, although the accused had told social workers she was “mortified and embarrassed”at what she had done, she had shown no apparent remorse.

She maintained to police that she had been given the card and had not stolen it.

Imposing the community payback order, he told Black:“Be under no illusions: this is an alternative to a custodial sentence.”

She will also have to complete a further 100 hours of unpaid work after she flouted a September 15 bail order banning her from entering St Catherine’s Square.

She went there on November 4 after hearing that her son had been“hanging about with ne’er-do-wells”.