Thief jailed after stealing Good Samaritan's bank card in Inverness
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A man stole a bank card after asking for money and cigarettes in Inverness city centre.
Alastair Reid (38) of Cordon Guest House, Inverness, appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court last week and admitted failing to complete a community service order for the theft of the bank card which he used to withdraw £200 from a cash machine.
Reid also admitted stealing fragrance worth £80 from the branch of Boots in the Eastgate Shopping Centre on October 4 and a jacket from a room at the Mercure Hotel in Church Street on October 19.
The bank card theft took place on July 3 in Church Street.
Depute fiscal Callum Thomson said that on that date a man was out for the evening and was approached by the accused, who asked him for money and cigarettes.
The man said he had no money on him but took Reid to the ATM at the Co-op where Reid grabbed his bank card and ran away.
“Police found him later and, on searching him, found £200 in Clydesdale Bank notes,” Mr Thomson said.
The court heard that the owner of the jacket Reid stole had left it in his hotel room at 9.15am on October 19.
Police attending the hotel at 10.20am the same day on a separate matter saw a “suspicious male” wearing a green jacket at the time.
After the theft was reported Reid was found later the same day at the Eastgate Shopping Centre wearing the jacket.
Solicitor Duncan Henderson said Reid was under psychiatric care and had mental health difficulties.
He said there was nothing sophisticated about the thefts – in the case of the bank card Reid was given the PIN number before he ran off with it.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson said custody was the only option and jailed him for 35 weeks.
