Inverness man stole tobacco, vapes, fragrances and make-up during two raids in Nairn
A bungling burglar who twice discarded some of his £13,000 haul is set to enter residential rehab while continuing on a court imposed drug treatment order to try and keep out of jail.
Thomas Hannah, formerly of Nairn's Elizabeth Street and now in Inverness, was told by Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald that sticking with the treatment was likely the only way he could avoid a custodial sentence for breaking into two Nairn shops.
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Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 46-year-old Hannah had used a crowbar to break a glass door panel of Semi-Chem in the town and then steal tobacco, vapes, fragrances and make-up worth almost £8500. He also grabbed £218 in cash from two tills.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said that Hannah then made his escape on a bicycle. But some of his ill-gotten gains were found in a bag he was seen to drop in John Street in the early morning of August 13 last year.
On March 30, this year, police were called to attend another break-in at The Phone Store in Nairn's High Street when more than 200 vapes worth approximately £5000 plus £750 in cash was taken. Hannah used holdalls he had taken from the shop to carry the items.
Ms Hood added: "A bag of vapes was found by police in the customer service area. CCTV showed the accused striking the door with his leg several times to enter. He was in the store for around 40 minutes."
The prosecutor said that Hannah was also identified through CCTV for the Semi-Chem crime.
Hannah admitted two charges of theft by housebreaking.
His solicitor advocate Clare Russell told Sheriff Macdonald: "He is about to go into rehab at Beechwood House and is doing well on a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO). A lot of the items were recovered and the Crown will have that value when the case next calls."
Sheriff Macdonald deferred sentence for a background report and an update on Hannah's progress with his DTTO until December 23.
"These are serious offences and could quite easily merit a prison sentence,” the sheriff told Hannah. “The best way of trying to avoid that is to do well on your DTTO and in rehab."
