Leniency for ‘despicable’ charity thief

A THIEF who stole a charity collection was guilty of a “despicable offence”, a sheriff has said.

However, Sheriff Martin Edington showed leniency to Robert Campbell, 37, after he was told the former drug addict was trying to rebuild his life.

Campbell, of Uphall, West Lothian, appeared for sentence at Livingston Sheriff Court yesterday after earlier admitting stealing a charity box and its contents from a cafe in Uphall and carrying a knife in nearby Linlithgow in February.

He was handed a two-year community payback order and sentenced to do 250 hours of unpaid work.

The sheriff said: “I’m prepared to take into account that you’ve paid back double the amount you stole.”