Drug addict admits raids on church and leisure pool

A drug addict who robbed a church and a leisure centre while on a four-day valium binge has been jailed for eight months.

Alan Brown was captured on CCTV during both raids and swiftly traced by police officers, to whom he was no stranger.

In the first, he was filmed cycling up to the front door of St John’s Roman Catholic Church in Perth.

There, he took advantage of the fact the church is open every day to the public as a place of refuge and prayer.

The 35-year-old brazenly walked down the centre of the church and forced open the padlock on a cash box, attached to a votive offering candle stand.

He secured less than £5, but did an estimated £100 of damage during the raid, which left people “saddened” by the abuse of their hospitality.

Four days later and still in the midst of his binge – which followed an argument with his pregnant partner – he was again captured on camera, this time as he forced open a locker within Perth Leisure Pool.

On that occasion the thief’s luck was better as he secured £140 in notes from a purse as its unaware owner enjoyed a swim with her children.

Brown, of Viewlands Place, Errol, initially denied any involvement in the crimes but subsequently admitted committing the offences on October 18 and October 22.

Solicitor Linda Clark told Perth Sheriff Court her client had suffered from substance abuse problems for many years and made “fairly frequent court appearances” when the addiction was at its worst.

She added that he had been released from a prison sentence just three months before the thefts were carried out.