A man has been jailed for a “despicable” theft from a Fife care home.
Graham Dempster was challenged by staff after being found in the staff room of Abbotsford care home in Methil.
As the thief fled he scene, he left his own bag behind.
The 39-year-old, who was already in custody, was handed a further sentence of imprisonment on Tuesday.
Sheriff Alison McKay told him the ongoing pandemic made his actions even more reprehensible.
Cornered by care home staff
Fiscal depute Claire Bremner told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: “At around 9.45pm witness Duncan, who is a care assistant, was showing witness Jones, who was agency staff, around.
“At around 10.10pm an emergency door alarm sounded and witness Jones looked down a corridor towards the staff room, where she saw the accused.”
Witness Duncan and a staff nurse employed by the home cornered Dempster in the staff room, where he had hold of the nurse’s bag.
When challenged, he handed it back and left but the women later discovered a number of items, including car keys and a wallet, were missing.
Dempster’s bag was found in the staff room.
Earlier theft from takeaway
Ms Bremner added that earlier the same day Dempster had stolen an angle grinder from a takeaway in Methil.
Dempster had entered Singapore Hot Food and asked the owner, who was cooking at the time, if the takeaway was open.
He left without ordering and the owner later noticed the machinery, which had been packed away in a box, was missing.
Solicitor Yvonne McKenna, defending, said CCTV had placed Dempster at the scene of both offences and he had pled guilty from the outset.
She said: “These were very much opportunistic offences and were carried out when Mr Dempster was in the grip of drug addiction.
“These offences were to fund his drug addiction.”
‘Totally despicable’
Dempster, a prisoner at Glenochil, admitted breaking into the care home on August 24.
He further admitted stealing the angle grinder from Singapore Hot Food, Methil, on the same day
Sentencing him to 10 months in prison, Sheriff McKay told him: “I accept that charge one was opportunistic.
“Charge two, in this particular climate, where you break into a care home and take items from people working there, is totally despicable.”
The Courier told in January how the care home suffered Covid-related bereavements when the disease found its way into the premises.
