A thief who smashed his way into an Inverness supermarket and stole bottles of alcohol and donations from charity collection tins has been jailed.
Matthew Bell tripped an alarm and was caught on CCTV camera as he broke into the Lidl store on Telford Street in the early hours of one morning.
When police officers caught up with him, he was also charged with breaching a court-imposed curfew that had required him to remain at home overnight.
Bell, 24, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court via videolink from custody to admit to breaching the curfew and breaking into the shop.
Fiscal depute Adelle Gray told the court the police had learned the supermarket’s alarm was sounding around 3.45am on December 20 2023.
Almost £200 of alcohol and an unknown amount of charity tin donations were stolen
When officers arrived at the scene, they noticed that the lower panel of the main entrance door was damaged, allowing the intruder to enter the building.
Ms Gray said: “A review of CCTV confirmed the accused had forced entry to the locus, smashing the front door.”
The court heard that Bell had stolen “a number of items” including alcohol worth £195.50.
He had also helped himself to charity collection tins – but the Crown was unable to ascertain how much these had contained at the time.
Officers later identified Bell from CCTV camera images, which also proved he had broken his curfew.
Thief’s lawyer blamed his client’s offending on substance abuse
Defence solicitor David Patterson, representing Bell, said his client could “offer no explanation” for his actions that were “essentially due to the various substances he was taking”.
Mr Patterson explained: “His life was deteriorating. His use of substances was escalating, resulting in a period of long-term imprisonment.
“He has had time to address and correct his behaviour. He tells me that he is doing so.”
Sheriff MacDonald jailed Bell for four months.
For all the latest court cases in Inverness as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.