A 50-year-old Lochinver man broke into his local shop and stole almost £3,000 worth of cigarettes and tobacco.
But Thomas Gilchrist, of Inver Park, didn’t hide his face properly – despite wearing a balaclava – during the raid on September 13.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told today that the CCTV cameras in the Inver Park Stores captured images which enabled police to identify the culprit.
Gilchrist pleaded guilty to the theft by housebreaking charge on October 18 and sentence was deferred for a background report.
After reading it, Sheriff Chris Dickson jailed Gilchrist, who also admitted previous convictions, for four months.
Fiscal depute David Morton told the court that the store had been secured the night before. But when owner Angela Pirie re-opened it the following morning, she noticed her entire cigarette cabinet had gone.
“She was surprised because there should have been a delivery of cigarettes the previous day. Then she saw that the rear door had been damaged in the break-in.”
The police were contacted and reviewed the footage before arresting Gilchrist some weeks later, the court heard.
Mr Morton said that none of the tobacco goods were recovered, but some of the £655 worth of alcohol was.
