A young dad has admitted stealing hundreds of pounds worth of goods from an Aberdeen supermarket after a death car crash left his life in ruins.
Former soldier Scott Fowler was caught walking out of Asda with a trolley full of stolen items at the weekend.
Yesterday Fowler’s solicitor told the city’s sheriff court his client had turned his life around after a troubled youth – only to see it spiral out of control when the car he was driving was involved in a fatal smash 18 months ago.
Sheriff Kenneth Stewart told the 34-year-old he could have been facing jail – but instead he had decided to adjourn the case so he could find out more about his personal circumstances.
The court heard the recovering drug addict had not offended since he was released from a previous prison sentence in 2004.
Following his time behind bars Fowler, who developed a heroin addiction at the age of 19, set out on the straight and narrow and even graduated from college.
But the court heard yesterday that his life was wrecked once more in 2013 when he was involved in a fatal smash on the city’s South Deeside Road.
Fowler, originally from Banchory, was not found to be responsible for the accident, however the shock of it threw him back into drug addiction – and led him into a life of crime.
Yesterday he appeared in court and admitted stealing £232 worth of goods from Asda in Garthdee on Sunday evening.
The court heard Fowler had gone into the supermarket with a woman, who had started filling a trolley.
After removing tags from a TV, two gift cards, two bottles of after shave, bedding and a blanket, Fowler then attempted to walk out of the store with the goods without paying.
Solicitor Mike Monro said his client was spotted by security staff at the store who caught him as he was leaving and all the items were recovered.
Addressing Sheriff Stewart, Mr Monro said: “I mean this in the nicest possible way, but I honestly thought I had seen the last of him.
“He has not been in any trouble whatsoever for 10 years, however during the course of his employment 18 months ago he was involved in a fatal car crash on South Deeside Road.
“It was not his fault and there has been no prosecution against him, however it has had a really bad effect on him. He had to go to the doctors and get anti-depressants.
“He has to accept that he then got involved in illegal drugs. This has been the catalyst to matters. Something needs to be done here.
“He is a 34-year-old man with a wife and children and he has got to accept that he got himself into this mess.”
Sheriff Stewart said he would have been entitled to send Fowler to jail yesterday, given his record.
However, he said that given the significant gap in his criminal record he would adjourn the case for background reports to be carried out into his current circumstances.
After he was released from prison, the former Banchory Academy pupil started studying for an HNC in animal care at Aberdeen College while holding down a job at nights working in a bakery.
And in 2008 he was pictured in the Press and Journal after he graduated in front of his partner, and their two children.
When he finished his studies he went on to work as an abattoir and said he hoped to return to college once his children were older.
Fowler, of 10 Cadenhead Place, Aberdeen, will return to court to be sentenced next month.