Phone theft victim tracks down yob using Facebook

The young victim handed over his iPhone after Craig Bolland asked to borrow it to call a taxi, but instead walked off with the phone during the incident in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

When the defenceless 15-year-old asked for his smartphone back, he was thumped twice in the face by Bolland, who kept the device.

Although Bolland didn’t know the boy, a friend of the victim who witnessed the assault knew the thief’s name and managed to find out where he lived by using the social networking site.

The thug, 17, broke down in the dock at Haddington Sheriff Court as he pleaded for “one more chance” before he was detained for four months.

The court was told that Bolland, from Edinburgh, was already serving a curfew keeping him indoors between 10pm and 6.30am when he launched the attack on the unsuspecting teenager on March 11 this year.

Depute procurator fiscal Alison Innes said: “The complainer is 15 years old and he was approached by the accused, who asked for directions. He then asked if he could use the complainer’s iPhone and the accused took it out of his hand and walked away.

“When the boy went to ask for his phone back, the accused punched him twice in the face causing a black eye and a swelling. The accused then ran away.

“It was a friend who found the accused on Facebook and they were able to update the police.”

She added that Bolland told officers he had been assaulted first, and that the another person now had the phone.

Defence agent Angela Craig said her client had been taking medication for attention deficit disorder since he was six.

She said: “He is a man who, from a young age, has had behavioural problems. He does appear to be quite unsure of understanding matters, and has difficulty understanding these procedure matters.

“He has stopped drinking as it has been a problem for him. He doesn’t mix with any negative peer influences now and is leading a much quieter life.”

Bolland had admitted the charges at an earlier hearing on April 25.

Sheriff Peter Braid said: “You are currently subject to six community payback orders, but there comes a point when the court can’t tolerate further offending.

“There is no alternative to a custodial sentence, so I’m taking a cumulative starting point of six months which I will reduce to four months due to your guilty plea.”

Half of Bolland’s sentence was dished out for breaching a previous bail order.

The court was also told Bolland was convicted in December for slashing a 15-year-old’s face open with a piece of broken mirror.