Inverness chef jailed for shoplifting spree to fund his addictions

An Inverness chef with drug and alcohol issues has been jailed for six months after running out of final chances.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard Michael MacBeath (35) had shoplifted hundreds of pounds of goods from stores around Inverness to fund his drinking habit.

The stores included the Telford Street Co-op, the Eastgate Shopping Centre, Mark and Spencer's and Asda and the offences were carried out between September and November.

Earlier this year MacBeath had been given a chance to get his life in order following another court appearance for disorder and shoplifting.

The court heard previously that he was due to attend a rehabilitation centre to address his demons.

However, he has now appeared from custody via video link at Inverness Sheriff Court facing charges of theft by shoplifting as well as an assault, which he admitted.

The court heard he had checked himself out despite not completing the course.

Fiscal depute Emma MacEwan said that the goods he stole were worth hundreds of pounds.

He also got into a ruckus after asking for lift from a person in a car outside Starbucks in the city's Rose Street.

MacBeath, formerly of Caledonian Road, had been remanded in custody on November 16 following the bust-up in which he got punched in self-defence.

He slapped the motorist on November 15 after repeatedly banging on their vehicle window.

Defence advocate Clare Russell explained that her client, a trained chef who cooked for the homeless, was seeking his liberation and proposed alternatives to custody.

However Sheriff Sara Matheson said MacBeath had run out of options having already been placed on a community payback order in the past.

She imposed a six month prison sentence backdated to his first date on remand.