A north-east man has been jailed after breaking into shops and stealing charity tins.
John McCormick, 27, who has a “shocking record”, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after a spate of break-ins in the Peterhead area over a number of weeks.
The first incident was at Boots the Chemist on Marischal Street at around 7.50pm on October 12.
Fiscal depute Jamie Dunbar said a member of the public heard “smashing glass” and saw a male in dark clothing leave the shop via the bottom glass panel of the door.
The eyewitness contacted police who viewed CCTV showing McCormick kicking the door panel, crawling into the shop and stealing the charity tin from the till area.
Mr Dunbar said the box contained an estimated £30, which was not recovered.
The second incident took place at Purple Ink, a tattoo parlour on Harbour Street, on November 6.
Mr Dunbar said the owner’s brother received a call about an alarm at the shop going off.
He went to the business and found a smashed window and called police. It was noted the till, containing around £50, had been stolen.
The following day McCormick broke into WH Smith on Marischal Street around 11pm.
A supervisor was contacted by an alarm company and she got in touch with police.
CCTV showed McCormick taking two charity tins from the premises.
On the same day, November 7, McCormick tried to break into Holliewood Beauty on Backgate.
The following morning when the owner arrived at the shop she found scuff marks on the door and phoned police.
Officers viewed CCTV, which showed McCormick kicking the door.
He was traced and arrested.
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McCormick, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to a total of four charges.
He admitted breaking into Boots and stealing a charity tin containing cash, breaking into Purple Ink and stealing a till containing money, breaking into WH Smith and stealing two charity tins with money inside, and attempting to break into Holliewood Beauty with intent to steal.
Defence agent Sam Milligan said his client had a record which was “clearly analogous”.
He added it was “underpinned by a chronic problem in relation to the use and abuse of illicit class A drugs”.
He said McCormick had stopped taking his prescriptions in an effort to come off drugs but had “failed dismally in that regard”.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told McCormick: “You do have a shocking record and a custodial sentence is the only proper way to deal with this.”
She sentenced him to two years behind bars, backdated to November 12 when he was first remanded.
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