A man dubbed Scotland’s dumbest criminal left a court bail order document – complete with his name and address – at the scene of a break-in.
David McGregor was spotted with his arm through the kitchen window of a bungalow in Dundee’s Perth Road.
He was startled by a neighbour who had been watching him fumble around outside.
Officers arrested McGregor after finding his jacket lying on the ground near the window, with the court paperwork tucked inside a pocket.
McGregor appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted a break-in with intent to steal on December 1, 2020.
He also pled guilty to having an offensive weapon – a pair of pliers – in Perth’s Glengarry Road on December 30 last year.
The 51-year-old appeared in the dock holding hands with Elizabeth Reid, who admitted breaking into a house in St Madoes and stealing an iPhone, smart watch and £310 cash.
Oblivious to witness
Addressing the court about McGregor’s break-in, fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie said: “At 4.20pm on December 1, 2020, a neighbour was outside, about to take his dog for a walk, when he noticed a figure – the accused – out of the corner of his eye.
“The accused was alone and standing beside an open window.
“It had been lifted up about six inches and the accused’s arm was inside.”
McGregor had no idea he was being watched, the prosecutor said.
“The neighbour walked up and asked the accused what he was doing,” Ms Ritchie told the court.
“The accused appeared to get a shock because he did not know he was being observed.
“He withdrew his hand from inside the house and said he was there to collect money for drugs.
“It was noted that he was clearly under the influence.”
McGregor walked off when he was told police were on their way.
“The neighbour knocked on the door and the owner of the property said she had been unaware of anything happening,” said Ms Ritchie.
“Later that day, officers searched the surrounding area and found a bin liner containing clothing, include a jacket.
“Inside one of its pockets was a court bail order from Dundee Sheriff Court with the accused’s name and address.
“It stated he had been released on bail earlier that day.”
About a year later, McGregor was seen on Glengarry Road, Perth, with a set of pliers.
“The accused was waving them about in the air and shouting,” said Ms Ritchie.
He told cops: “I was fixing an X-Box 360.”
St Madoes house raid
The court heard that in a separate incident, Elizabeth Reid, acting with another, targeted a three-bedroom bungalow in St Madoes.
“At around 10.40am on May 11 2021, the occupant left home to attend an appointment in Perth,” said Ms Ritchie.
“As she was leaving she secured the front door. A bathroom window was open slightly, but secured on a latch.”
Reid was spotted in the Madoch Road area by two neighbours that afternoon.
“The home owner returned home and went into her kitchen,” the fiscal depute said.
“She saw that a Fairy Liquid bottle had been knocked over.
“Initially she thought nothing of this but then noticed that the window had been opened wider than she had left it.”
She noticed that her daughter’s iPhone was missing from the kitchen counter.
A smart watch, which had been left on her bedside table, was also gone.
“At this point, she called police.
“Officers noticed fresh marks on the kitchen window, which was established as the probable point of entry.”
Goods found in house
Investigators secured a search warrant for 45-year-old Reid’s home in Glenshee Crescent.
“There, police recovered a watch which matched the serial number of that one that had been stolen,” said Ms Ritchie.
“The iPhone was never found.”
McGregor was originally charged with being involved in the same break-in, but prosecutors accepted his not guilty plea to the charge.
Sheriff Euan Duthie deferred sentence until next month for background reports.
Solicitor David Holmes said McGregor, who has been offending since 1988, had already spent the equivalent of a 20-month sentence on remand.
Dubious honour
McGregor first earned his dubious nickname of the nation’s dumbest crook after ending up in hospital with a broken hip when he leaped from a house window after being disturbed during a robbery.
He swallowed a handful of the jewellery he had stolen, which, after his arrest, showed up in a hospital stomach X-ray.
A police officer then waited at his bedside for nine days – and five enemas – before McGregor finally passed the jewellery.
That episode earned him 11 months in prison.
