Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Serial thief jailed for eight months
A SERIAL thief has been jailed for eight months after admitting shoplifting and breaching the peace at a Dundee supermarket.
William Murray, of Finmore Street, pleaded guilty to stealing a quantity of goods from Morrisons in Afton Way on May 23.
The 45-year-old also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm by shouting, swearing, uttering threats of violence to staff members and refusing to desist.
Depute fiscal Marie Irvine told the city’s sheriff court that Murray was seen by customers to have placed items in a carrier bag and they informed staff.
The staff members investigated, she said, and asked whether he had paid for the items.
“He told them he was still having a look,” she said.
However, when staff then asked if he had a receipt for the items, he grabbed the bag and ran towards the door of the store. Murray then dropped the bag and the staff members picked it up and went back towards the office, the fiscal said.
“The accused then began shouting at them in an aggressive manner, demanding the bag be returned to him,” she said. The fiscal added that he continued shouting and threatening them and police were called.
She said he was believed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs and was threatening the staff members that he “would see them in the street”.
The value of the goods was put at £681, Ms Irvine added.
Solicitor Carolyn Leckie told the court that Murray’s offending was largely due to his drug dependency over a long period.
Pleading for him to be spared a jail sentence to give him a chance of changing his lifestyle while in the community, she told Sheriff John Rafferty: “There’s been very little opportunity to address his problems.”
Sheriff Rafferty replied that Murray had been convicted of offences and also that he had failed to appear at court last year.
He added that there had been an unfavourable report from social workers.
Sheriff Rafferty said his record of offending meant there was no alternative to prison and it was a matter for him to deal with his drug difficulties.