Caused £4000 worth of damage to cell

An inmate caused almost £4000 worth of damage when he trashed - and then flooded - his cell while on remand at Perth Prison.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that 61-year-old Louis Curtis admitted leaving a trail of destruction while he was a prisoner at the Edinburgh Road jail on February 2, 2020.

He pulled wiring from electrical fittings; ripped shelves from walls; damaged a cell door; and sabotaged piping, causing his cell to flood.

Depute fiscal Sarah Wilkinson said the cell had been flooded with water to a depth of about one inch.

She added that the bill for the damage totalled £3931.

“The reason for the damage was believed to be that he didn’t have any tobacco.”

That was disputed by the accused - as was the bill for the damage.

Representing himself, he told Sheriff Neil Bowie:“The damage has been exaggerated.”

He added:“I didn’t destroy any electrical work - the walls are about three feet thick.”

He explained that he had been remanded after he went out to a club and someone stole his hat.

“The next thing, I’m arrested,”he claimed.

Sentence had been deferred by Sheriff Lindsay Foulis at an earlier court and Curtis had been warned to stay out of further trouble.

The accused, now staying at the James Bank Hostel, Dunfermline, had his sentence further deferred until April 21.

Sheriff Foulis will decide his fate then.