A thief called 999 on himself after plunging 20 feet as he fled a sheltered housing block that he had broken into in the dead of night.
Desmond Marr shattered both of his heels after falling from a wall as he made good his escape from Dudhope Villa in Dundee.
Marr had used a pair of ladders left by maintenance workers to climb in via the roof, then set them up on a five foot wall at the rear of the property to get away.
But Marr – who stole £1942 of residents’ cash during his raid – didn’t realise there was a 20 foot drop on the other side and fell, leaving himself horrifically injured.
He called an ambulance to come to his aid – but prompted suspicions from A&E staff when they found the huge sum of cash, two credit cards and a business cheque book in his possession.
Marr was left in a wheelchair for nine months following the plunge – but just weeks after getting back on his feet he was out stealing again, caught in broad daylight hurling a manhole cover through a patio door to get into a flat in Dundee.
Now he is starting a 20 month jail term, with his lawyer telling a sheriff Marr had already suffered “some punishment” thanks to the horror injury he suffered in his fall.
Fiscal depute Saima Rasheed told Dundee Sheriff Court: “Dudhope Villa is supported residential accommodation for people with additional support needs and is staffed 24 hours per day.
“There is a locked office where valuables belonging to the residents are kept.
“About 1.26am on August 19 the accused contacted an ambulance through an emergency call due to leg injuries sustained by him falling from a height on to waste ground at the rear of the locus.
“The ambulance conveyed him to Ninewells Hospital where he was admitted with suspected fractured ankles.
“His belongings were noted prior to sedation and £1942 cash, a business cheque book and two credit cards were recovered.
“Police attended at 9am at Dudhope villa and the office was checked and it was observed entry had been gained by using ladders left by maintenance staff.
“The accused used them to access the roof and thereafter climb on the roofs and around to the front of the locus and in through a window.
“The ladders were found at the rear of the garden leaning on the garden wall which is around five feet in height with around a 20 foot drop on the other side.
“A search was carried out where the accused was found by ambulance staff and they observed a pool of blood, a set of keys and a wallet containing a credit card belonging to a resident.”
Turning to the later theft, Miss Rasheed added: “Around 10.50am on June 6 this year a witness opposite the flat in Fyffe Street heard glass shattering.
“She looked over and saw the accused within the property.
“The accused was then seen running away carrying a blue suitcase.
“He was traced nearby by police bleeding from a cut to his hand and ear with his jacket covered in glass.
“Inside the suitcase was a laptop, games console, travel documents and a passport belonging the complainer.
“In his jeans pocket were £2000 and 300 Euros in cash and a currency receipt in the name of the complainer.
“Substantial damage was caused to the locus to gain access, with a steel manhole cover being thrown through the glass door.”
Marr, 46, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to charges of theft by housebreaking committed on August 19 last year and June 6 this year.
Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, defending, said: “He actually suffered two shattered heels in the fall and was housebound in a wheelchair for eight to nine months.
“There was a suggestion at one stage he may require an amputation.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed Marr for 20 months.
He said: “There’s no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
