A thief has been jailed after sneaking into a student’s flat in the middle of the night and helping himself to cash, aftershave and earphones.
Graham Milne spotted the insecure window on Loch Street in the early hours of the morning while the occupant had popped out to help a friend get home.
The 34-year-old clambered through the window of the ground floor property and helped himself to a “significant” haul of items from within.
The student didn’t immediately notice the theft when he returned, and it was only when he woke up in the morning he realised what happened and raised the alarm.
Fiscal depute Tom Procter told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the student had gone out at 1am on May 21 in order to walk a friend home but left a bedroom window insecure.
When he returned at 2am he noticed a small partition in the window open and that the curtain had been moved.
‘Somewhat under the influence’
He went to bed, but when he woke up in the morning he realised his mobile phone was missing, along with his student ID and wallet containing £400.
Three bottles of aftershave and AirPod earphones were also gone.
Police attended and carried out “extensive” CCTV inquiries.
Mr Procter said: “CCTV showed the accused walking along Jopp’s Lane, appearing to notice the ground floor window, climbing through the window and returning a short time later carrying items.”
Milne was later traced and arrested, however, the items were not recovered.
In a separate incident, on April 22, Milne attended his ex-partner’s address in Aberdeen uninvited in possession of a metal pole and became abusive, shouting and swearing, striking the door and throwing stones at a window.
Milne, of King Street, Inverbervie, admitted theft, behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and breaching his bail conditions.
‘Quite significant value’
Defence agent Lynn Bentley said the CCTV of the theft incident showed her client to be “somewhat under the influence”.
She said he had “various addiction problems” and described the theft as an “opportunistic crime”.
Regarding the domestic matter, Ms Bentley said Milne’s ex-partner had been at the address with another male and there had been “almost a challenge to sort things out between the males”.
The solicitor said her client’s efforts to tackle his addiction problems “went to pieces” following a family bereavement.
She added: “He’s remorseful. He apologises.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller said the items stolen were of “quite significant value”.
He ordered Milne to be jailed for nine months altogether.
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