Thief gets 2-year city-centre ban

Published on Thursday 7 December 2006 14:04

A HANDBAG thief was today banned from entering Edinburgh city centre for two years under the first Asbo of its kind in Scotland.

James McMillan, 32, was banned from more than 40 streets covering a two square mile area in the heart of the Capital.

He is the first person to be excluded from such a large area following a history of bag and purse thefts, which saw him steal from tourists, women, older people and the vulnerable in pubs, cafes and restaurants.

The order came after police charged him with 180 different offences over a three-year period in dozens of separate reports to the procurator fiscal service.

McMillan, of Niddrie Mill Crescent, was first placed on an interim Asbo in July, but has now been permanently banned from areas including Queen Street south to Lauriston Place and Haymarket east to the top of Leith Walk.

He has also been banned from streets in Stockbridge and the Southside.

If McMillan, who has already been sentenced to one Asbo breach, is caught by police on any of the streets, he will be instantly arrested and taken into custody. He could face a maximum sentence of five years for repeated breaches.

Police have also said that if he continues to pose a threat to Edinburgh after the Asbo finishes, they will apply to extend it.

Detective Andy Higgins, 32, said: "McMillan's criminal behaviour was causing people of Edinburgh and visitors alarm and distress. This system is another tool in our toolbox to prevent crime and leave Edinburgh a safe place.

"People come from across the world to this capital city and we do not want them to come in fear of crime. Orders such as this will stop criminals entering an area where there are the best pickings. We are not going to stand for repeat offending."

Police say they turned to the Asbo system following McMillan's string of convictions when he simply returned to the same area to continue with his crimes.

The 32-year-old employed a variety of tactics to snatch possessions in crowded city centre pubs and cafes during a three-year crime spree. Elderly women and foreign visitors were among his list of victims, dating back to at least June 2003.

He amassed more than 60 convictions for dishonesty and also used stolen bank or credit cards to commit fraud. DC Higgins added: "People like McMillan need a lot of people sitting together and talking; they need between 20 and 30 people to carry out his thefts."

Following on the success of this order, officers now intend to make further applications.

Carol Thomson, 38, a senior resolution and enforcement officer with the council said: "I am happy with the result today. It has been quite a long process to get to this stage but it is the right outcome for the victims of crime."

She explained that police bring the criminal information that they gather to the Council which applies for an Asbo through the courts.

McMillan, who represented himself at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, accepted the Council's proposal for a two year Asbo. No expenses were awarded.