A serial shoplifter who once turned up for court covered head-to-toe in black paint has been jailed for a cash raid on a High Street clothes store.
Daniel Whyte snatched a till drawer containing nearly £300 from New Look in Perth.
The 27-year-old appeared via video link at the city’s sheriff court and admitted the August 11 theft.
He also pled guilty to a series of thefts from the Morrisons filling station – mostly sweets and drinks – earlier this summer.
Whyte, of St Catherine’s Square, further admitted he was abusive towards police on Monday after he was caught stealing a TV from Asda.
Solicitor Paul Ralph said when the case called previously, Whyte had turned up at court covered in thick black paint.
Supermarket thefts
Fiscal depute Andrew Harding confirmed the money from the New Look cash register – about £280 – was not recovered.
He said the value of confectionary, soft drinks and other food taken from the Morrison’s filling station over four days in June was just over £13.
When he was arrested at Asda earlier this week, Whyte became aggressive as he was loaded into a police van.
Mr Harding said: “He called the officers a series of offensive names such as ‘b******s’ and ‘freaks’.”
Mr Ralph, defending, said: “The fact of the matter is that Mr Whyte doesn’t keep good mental health.
“He appears before the court today very presentable.
“But just a couple of weeks ago, he arrived at court having applied paint all over himself.
“I suggested that he go and get some hospital treatment.”
Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon told the accused: “There really is no alternative to custody standing your record.”
Whyte was jailed for four months.
In 2020, he was locked up for attacking four nurses during a violent outburst at Murray Royal Hospital.
Whyte broke the ribs of a registered nurse as he brawled with staff in September 2017.
The incident was triggered when he threw a glass of water at another nurse when she gave him medication to calm down.
