A serial housebreaker has been jailed after his DNA was discovered on a garden spade used to force open a bathroom window in Aberdeen.
Peter Michie’s record was branded “absolutely atrocious” as he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted two more charges of theft by housebreaking – the latest in a string of similar offences.
This time, the 50-year-old used a spade to force open a bathroom window on St Machar Place, making off with radios and food, and smashed a window to gain access to a property on Regent Walk to steal a laptop and cash.
Fiscal depute Brian Young told Aberdeen Sheriff Court a couple returned home to their address on St Machar Place after visiting family on September 1 and found lights on unexpectedly.
They immediately contacted police and, as they made their way through their home, noticed a number of items “out of place” and the contents of bedroom drawers “scattered on the bed”.
The bathroom window was open and it was deduced that the intruder had entered through the window before leaving through the rear door.
When police arrived they discovered damage to the wood at the bottom of the bathroom window and a garden spade lying nearby.
Michie seen on CCTV ‘concealing something under his jacket’
They assessed that the spade had been used to “force entry”, and forensic analysis revealed Michie’s DNA on the item.
Items including four radios and a quantity of food had been stolen, although no value was given for these or the damage caused.
Around 1am on September 22, the male resident of a property on Regent Walk returned home and noticed a black and orange garden implement lying on the path surrounded by shards of glass, as well as a brush that did not belong to him.
He noticed a glass pane on his front door had been smashed and there was broken glass inside in the hallway.
Police were contacted and it was noticed the bathroom window was open, suggesting the intruder had left through it.
The man also spotted his white Aztec laptop, worth £250, had been taken, along with £80 in cash.
He also had to pay £350 excess on his insurance policy for replacement of the door.
CCTV on nearby School Avenue showed Michie walking towards the property at 11.36pm, before walking back at 12.41am “concealing something under his jacket” consistent in shape with the laptop.
‘These were nasty offences’
Michie was traced and arrested, however, the stolen goods were not recovered.
Michie, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to two charges of theft by housebreaking.
Defence agent Gerald O’Donnell said his client had a number of health problems including a back injury and mental health issues.
He added Michie had a “long-standing drug habit” which he had struggled with for most of his adult life.
The solicitor explained Michie had also struggled to cope with bereavement and had relapsed into drug use.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Michie: “You have an absolutely atrocious record of previous convictions for crimes of dishonesty, including numerous previous convictions for thefts by housebreaking.
“These were nasty offences of the type that cause great upset to the victims.”
He jailed Michie for 27 months, backdated to September 24 when he was first remanded in custody.
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