A two-time thief broke into a city optometrist’s shop just days after he was freed from prison for targeting the same business.
Peter McAllister had not learned his lesson when he was released from jail in July, his sentence for breaking into Goskirk Pettinger in Inverness’s Union Street in February last year.
Ten days later, he was caught doing the same thing – and similar blunders led to his capture on both occasions.
Sheriff Fleetwood must have thought he was suffering from double vision as fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart gave him an almost identical written account of the latest raid in July this year as one carried out by the 38 year old last year.
On both occasions, McAllister cut himself on broken glass after smashing a glass door panel.
Police recovered his DNA in February last year and July this year.
The bungling burglar also dropped his inhaler containing more DNA and his inept thefts were captured twice on CCTV.
In another blunder, McAllister cut the wrong cables in a failed attempt to disable the cameras.
McAllister, and it was a series of his blunders which led to him being jailed for 15 months yesterday.
He will also have to serve the remainder of the sentence for the first break-in, making a total of 25 months.
Previously, the 38-year-old had been acquitted by a jury after being accused of stealing from the shop.
In February last year, he broke into Goskirk’s and stole an opthalmascope.
He cut himself as he slid head-first into the premises through a glass door panel he had broken and DNA ensured his first conviction in August, 2016.
He secured an early release on July 7 and yesterday he admitted breaking into Goskirk’s once more on July 17, just 10 days after regaining his freedom.
His solicitor, Willie Young said: “His last conviction relates to an almost identical offence. The entire incident was a cumbersome one. There is no rational reason for this.”
