Village wine thief avoids prison

A Bridge of Earn man plundered wine from a neighbour’s home in an early morning raid.

The six bottles of red and six bottles of white were pilfered by Duncan Mcphee at around 1am on November 18.

They have never been recovered.

Mcphee, 34, entered the unlocked house at Smillie Place and inadvertently woke up his neighbours, Steven Welsh and Amanda Duncan.

At Perth Sheriff Court yesterday it was revealed Mcphee had found the door unlocked and entered the premises across the street from his own home.

On the kitchen table, he found the wine, valued at £65.

Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson said: “The accused is known to Miss Duncan and Mr Welsh. At 10pm they went to bed and the front door was unlocked.

“Shortly after 1am Mr Welsh woke to the sound of a male voice within the property and recognised it as the accused.”

The incident happened three months after Mcphee, who has been jailed before, had behaved in a threatening way while intoxicated in Smillie Place, prompting seven neighbours to dial 999.

As well as the wine theft, he admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and making derogatory remarks to occupants at Smillie Place, as well as repeatedly ringing a doorbell and banging on a front door, placing Mr Welsh and Ms Duncan in a state of alarm.

He was ordered to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work, pay his victims £200 and was also placed under supervision for a year.