A brazen thief who stole a £9,000 worth of goods – including war medals – was caught after he left his DNA on a can of beer he swiped.
Ricky Marr yesterday admitted breaking into the property on Seafield Road in Aberdeen, and making off with the loot on June 21 or 22 last year.
The stolen items included World War II medals, a full dress kilt and accessories, three cameras, a blood pressure gauge, a silver nursing badge, antique coins, expensive jewellery, an Ellon Academy watch and clothes.
Marr, 38, also admitted breaching a curfew when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
Fiscal depute Vicki Bell told the court that Marr, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, had targeted the home while the owners were away visiting family.
When they returned they discovered a window had been forced open and their house ransacked.
Police were alerted, and the owners began to go through their home to find what had been taken, quickly discovering the man’s grandfather’s war medals had gone.
When officers arrived, they discovered an empty can of beer in the back garden.
A swab was taken from the can and analysed which then led police to Marr.
The fiscal told the court that the items were valued at about £9,260 in total and had yet to be recovered.
Defence agent Lynn Bentley said that he had been “doing well” prior to the offence.
She said he had a “long history” of drug abuse and asked Sheriff William Summers to defer sentence for reports.
Sheriff Summers agreed and told Marr that “given the gravity” of the offence there was a “real possibility” he could be locked up.
He deferred sentence until next month.
