OAPs robbed to fund thief's heroin habit

Published on Wednesday 10 March 2010 08:45

A SNEAK thief who stole from pensioners to feed his drug habit has been jailed for 22 months.

James McDougal, 36, took 20 from an 80-year-old victim and stole a purse and 280 from another 69-year-old woman after he had crept into their Edinburgh homes.

When the women confronted McDougal he left, but when police caught up with him he admitted what he had done.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday heard McDougal had carried out opportunistic thefts to fund his heroin addiction.

He admitted stealing money from homes at Pittville Street and Craigmillar Castle Gardens and taking an Xbox, Nintendo Wii and computer games from a house at Peffermill Road.

He carried out the thefts between July and December last year.

Defence agent Paul Haran said: "These are not examples where there has been excessive confrontation. They were very much opportunistic thefts.

"Fortunately, it didn't go beyond the shock and fright of finding someone in their house.

"He is very ashamed of his behaviour because he appreciates it would have been alarming to the householders involved."

Sheriff Neil MacKinnon told McDougal, of Edinburgh Prison, no sentence other than custody was appropriate due to the seriousness of the charges and his record of offending.