The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Thief finding jail ‘hard going’ lodges appeal
Woman likely to be freed before Christmas despite 20-month sentence
A thief who prompted a sheriff to speak up on behalf of the forgotten victims of crime has launched an appeal against her 20-month prison sentence.
Abbey Miller, 27, was jailed for nearly two years on Monday but is likely to be freed before Christmas on a home detention curfew.
Miller’s case prompted Sheriff Lindsay Foulis to publicly urge Scotland’s justice system to impose sentences which reflected the distress caused to crime victims.
He jailed the drug addict for 20 months after rejecting her plea for a non-custodial sentence because she found prison “quite hard going.”
Her sentence was backdated to the date of her arrest and remand at the end of June and it is understood she will be released on a curfew after serving just one quarter of the sentence.
Solicitor John McLaughlin said Miller had launched an appeal against the sentence imposed at Perth Sheriff Court earlier this week.
On Monday, Sheriff Foulis told Miller: “The problem that is often overlooked by accused persons, and perhaps understandably by persons in your position, is the people who have had their cars broken into, their shed or indeed their house broken into.
“The view adopted by you and others focuses very significantly, perhaps even exclusively at times, on yourself in the dock and not the people who have been broken into.
“But in my view ... it is entirely appropriate that a custodial sentence is imposed.
“It balances your circumstances, your record, and the offences you have pled guilty to, with society’s generally appropriate goal of ensuring houses and cars etc are not broken into.”
Miller, from Kinross, admitted breaking into a car on June 23 and stealing several items. Three days later she broke into a shed in the town’s Montgomery Street and stole other goods.
After being arrested and released on bail with a curfew condition on June 27, she immediately resumed her crime spree and admitted breaking the curfew.
Miller admitted breaking into a van and a house on June 29 and stealing from both while she was subject to bail.
Mr McLaughlin said: “There is a good report for her and a reference to her falling foul of using amphetamines.
“She does want help to move on. Triggers that have set her off can be dealt with. She has found this period on remand quite hard going and she has told me about problems from other prisoners.”
The problem that is often overlooked by accused persons ... is the people who have had their cars broken into, their shed or indeed their house broken into. SHERIFF LINDSAY FOULIS