A housebreaker who tried to rob nearly every house in a street to fund his drug habit has been told to stay indoors every night for six weeks.
Talented artist John Forbes made efforts to try to break into more than 20 houses in a day after getting hooked on heroin.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Forbes was placed on a curfew from 7pm to 7am and ordered to attend a Mentoring for Men course.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC said: “The court could send you to jail today.
“It is important to give you an opportunity to see if you can address your offending behaviour.”
Hoping to enrol at art school
The court heard how Forbes eventually got into a student flat and stole various items but his attempts to rob a whole street were watched by several witnesses.
Solicitor Jim Laverty, defending, said: “He is a talented artist and was trying to build a portfolio for presentation to college.
“He was hoping he could eventually enter Duncan of Jordanstone art school.
“He had managed to free himself from a debilitating heroin addiction.
“Everything appeared to be going very much in the right direction.
“The wheels started to come off when he tried to help a young lady who had been the victim of domestic violence.”
Mr Laverty told the court the woman had a drug addiction and Forbes eventually started using heroin again and was forced to rob houses to feed his habit.
“Having been drug free for approximately 17 months, he unfortunately fell back into misuse over a period of time.
“It dismays him greatly that he did that.
“Not only was he putting together a portfolio, but he was working voluntarily with the British Heart Foundation six days a week.
“He was trying to repay society for the ills he had caused in his earlier life.
“It is with utter devastation he finds himself in the position he is in.”
Tried numerous locked doors
Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan told the court a teenage student was in her bedroom when she saw the door open slowly and Forbes entered.
He saw her and ran off out into the street empty-handed.
She and her friends watched as he tried to enter numerous houses and cars in neighbouring Larch Street.
Mr Duncan said: “They observed him trying numerous house doors and car doors between numbers seven and 59.
“They are not sure exactly how many but he was unsuccessful as they were all secured.”
He was then seen to enter a property in Brook Close which had an open door.
He remained inside for five minutes before re-emerging with a handful of stolen goods.
Police arrived at the scene while Forbes was still nearby.
He had the stolen items in his hands and confessed: “I got them from the house up the road.”
Forbes, 41, from Dundee, admitted breaking into one property and stealing goods, as well as four other theft-related offences in the city on 13 October 2021.
