A serial crook who caused thousands of pounds worth of damage during a 4am raid on a Perth supermarket was purposefully trying to get arrested, a court has heard.
Ewan Grant went wild in the aisles at the closed Edinburgh Road Tesco.
The 31-year-old raided a cigarette kiosk, threw around flowers, swapped clothes and smashed up more than £100 of booze.
He even stopped for a sandwich break before he was caught by police.
Break-in to access mental health services
Perth Sheriff Court heard Grant smashed his way into the closed store because he wanted to get locked up.
He had struggled in vain to get support from local mental health services, his solicitor said.
Sheriff William Wood told Grant he had only limited sympathy for him.
“Had there only been a break-in in order to attract police attention, I might have been more understanding,” he said.
“But given the extent of the damage that you caused within the Tesco store, you take away any sympathy that I might have had.
“I might have been agreeable to a community-based disposal if the matter wasn’t so serious.
“But because it is so serious, I am satisfied custodial a sentence is appropriate.”
Grant, who also pled guilty to assaulting a prison officer at HMP Perth, was jailed for 11 months.
Caught on camera
Fiscal depute Andrew Harding said the bizarre break-in on September 2 was caught on CCTV, the alarm having sounded at around 4.20am.
Grant was filmed walking towards the building holding a brick.
“He threw it at the cafe window, smashing it,” said Mr Harding.
“He pulled away the glass and entered the shop.”
Once inside the empty supermarket, Grant forced open a cabinet at the customer services counter and took out a packet of cigarettes.
He then picked up some flowers, tore their heads off and threw them around.
Footage showed Grant removing his top, discarding it on the floor, and swapping it with a shirt that was on a display rack.
He then took a phone from the front desk and dragged it to the chiller cabinet.
“The accused took a sandwich, opened it up and started eating it,” said Mr Harding.
Next, Grant got a bottle of alcohol and lobbed it over the tills.
“He went back to the alcohol aisle and pulled more bottles from the shelf,” Mr Harding told the court.
“This continued until the police arrived at about 4.30am.
“When the accused saw officers arrive, he sat on the floor and put his hands on his head.”
‘This was a cry for help’
The court heard Grant caused more than £4,000 of damage, while the cost of the lost alcohol was about £150.
Solicitor Steven Lafferty said his client had personal issues at the time.
“His mental health was all over the place,” he said.
“He had been trying to access mental health services for some time but he had been unsuccessful.
“This was a cry for help.
“He didn’t intend stealing anything, but he wanted to get to the attention of the mental health service, which he most certainly did.
“He understands that jail doesn’t work for him and he wants to be a good citizen.”
Grant admitted a charge of damaging property and a second count of breaking into the store, forcing open a locked cabinet, stealing cigarettes, a sandwich and a top.
Grant also pled guilty to assaulted prison officer Steven Keenan by punching him on his face to his injury during a disturbance in a cell at HMP Perth on November 14, 2020.
