A crack addict who averaged a crime every 40 hours in 60-day spree has been jailed.
John Forbes’ litany of offences included stealing charity cash, taking a nurse’s car as she worked at Ninewells and a series of home invasions.
His criminal rampage stretched across Tayside between May 20 and July 18 last year, covering 36 separate offences.
At Dundee Sheriff Court Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown jailed him 40 months – backdated to July last year when he was remanded – and said he will be supervised for a year on his release.
He was given a six-year driving ban.
Among his crimes, Forbes, 42, from Dundee:
- Snatched a staff member’s bag in a care home and used their keys to steal their Nissan Micra car on May 20.
- Stole a Vauxhall Corsa in Dundee less than 48 hours later and stole a laptop during a sneak-in theft in Forfar.
- Jemmied open a locked filing cabinet inside Dundee City Church on June 5.
- Stole charity boxes from a veterinary practice in the city on June 8, before stealing a Land Rover Freelander and used it as a getaway vehicle as he tried to carry out a number of frauds over the following days.
- Was spotted creeping around a house at 4.52am by a householder who got a Ring doorbell app notification.
- Came face-to-face with a householder in her home and ran off down the street when she screamed at him.
- Was caught on CCTV driving the stolen Freelander, despite being banned.
- Sneaked into a Ninewells Hospital staff area and then stole a charge nurse’s £21,000 Toyota CHR while she was working on July 9. He was spotted driving it on the Tay Bridge.
- Broke into a 91-year-old woman’s home in St Andrews on July 10 and was filmed by the CCTV system set up by her family to monitor her safety as she lived alone.
- Was caught red-handed in another home but managed to escape after persuading the owners that he had mistaken it for a Bed & Breakfast on July 11.
On the day he pled guilty, his solicitor Jim Laverty, said: “He is remorseful, apologetic and ashamed of the behaviour he was involved in.
“He was crippled by an extremely pernicious drug addiction.”
Mr Laverty told the court his client had a crack cocaine addiction but was a “talented artist” who hoped to use his skill to become a positive member of society.
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