Shop thieves warned: stay out of Stirling
Shoplifters have been warned to stay out of Stirling.
Linda Cumlin and Caroline McCabe, both from Glasgow, appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing.
Cumlin, 49, of Hamilton Road, previously pled guilty to a charge of theft from Debenhams in the Thistles on October 29.
McCabe, 52, of Maryhill Road, admitted racially abusing a police officer as she was ushered out of the store on the same day.
The court heard that the pair had been spotted with a man who was behaving suspiciously at the department store.
Fiscal depute Ann Orr said CCTV cameras had followed the trio after the man was seen pushing the type of shopping trolley that would normally be used by an elderly woman.
She said: “Cumlin was seen in the fragrance section of the shop. She picked up bottles of perfume and aftershave from a display and put them in the shopping trolley. She is described as filling the trolley.”
The women were stopped and detained by security staff and the trolley, which was lined with foil so that the products would not set off the store alarms, was found to contain 21 bottles of perfume worth £1459.50.
Police arrived and as the pair were led away from the store McCabe acted in a racially aggravated manner towards a police officer.
“As the officers took Miss McCabe to the police vehicle she said ‘Go back to where you came from’ to one of them,” said Mrs Orr.
“The officer is Scottish, born and bred in Stirling, but is Afro-Carribean in appearance.”
Defence solicitor Mr Dewar said that Cumlin had a difficulty with heroin, which had led to the offence, and asked the sheriff to defer sentencing to allow her to apply for a drug testing and treatment order.
Sheriff Wyllie Robertson said that recent convictions and the fact that Cumlin had sought to beat the alarms meant that custody was the only option and sentenced her to eight months in jail.
Fining McCabe £600, Sheriff Robertson warned her to stay away from Stirling if she planned on committing further offences.
He said: “I recognise on this occasion that you have not been charged with dishonesty.
“It is quite clear, however, to me that you came down here with your co-accused on a shoplifting trip from Glasgow.
“Perhaps it is only a matter of time before a dishonesty issue comes up again. Stay out of Stirling is my advice to you.”