The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Prison for addict who stole perfume while armed with a knife
COURT: Steven Flynn, who was filmed on CCTV putting boxes of fragrances down his trousers, was found to have a locking knife on him when searched by police
A perfume thief was jailed for 20 months yesterday after he was caught with two Angels down his trousers.
Steven Flynn, 30, was spotted stealing the Thierry Mugler fragrance box sets by stuffing one down the front and the other down the back of his trousers.
He managed to flee from the Debenhams store with the perfume but was caught red-handed a short time later in Perth High Street.
Heroin addict Flynn – who committed the offence after being released early from a previous jail term – was searched and a locking knife, used for removing security tags from stolen items, was found.
Depute fiscal John Malpass told Perth Sheriff Court: “A male identified as the accused was seen in the fragrance aisle.
“He placed an item down the front of his trousers and tried to place another down the rear.
“It was captured on CCTV.
“The accused left without paying and the police were informed.
“The accused was found with a lock knife and two boxed sets of Angel perfume.”
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said: “Clearly it’s not a reasonable excuse that he had the knife for cutting tags off items.
“Heroin has fully got a grip of him and he is struggling to find his way out of that.”
Flynn admitted theft and possessing a knife on September 4.
Sheriff William Wood said: “You are reaching the stage where you are spending more time in prison than out.
“I understand you are a drug addict and that is a difficult thing to break but you cannot go around being a nuisance and carrying knives.”
Flynn was freed to rob Debenhams despite being jailed for three years in May 2016 for dealing drugs behind bars.
The same court has previously heard how Flynn broke into McDiarmid Park as part of a plot to smuggle £8,400 worth of heroin into Perth Prison.
He hid the drugs internally and broke into St Johnstone’s ground where he set off the alarm and waited to be arrested.
He knew that after his arrest and court appearance he would be remanded to the prison where he was due to pass on the concealed drugs package to others.
He was caught with the drugs in his cell.
I understand you are a drug addict and that is a difficult thing to break but you cannot go around being a nuisance and carrying knives