A serial offender described as a “one person crimewave” in a Fife village has been jailed for 44 months.
David Michie’s crimes involved break-ins and thefts at properties in the Ballingry, Lochore and Kirkcaldy areas and fraudulent use of stolen bank cards to make purchases in local shops.
He committed a string of offences in three different time spells – in September 2021, early November 2021, and in late July last year.
Most of the offending took place in Ballingry.
Michie, 39, was found guilty by jury of 14 charges following a trial last week.
He admitted four crimes after prosecutors finished their case.
In a separate matter, he pled guilty to assaulting a former partner in Lochgelly by dragging her along a road by her hair on March 8 last year and admitted making threats of violence towards another man that day.
‘Horrendous criminal record’
Michie, formerly of Kirkcaldy‘s Lawson Gardens but now a prisoner in Perth, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court from custody for sentencing on all 20 charges.
Sheriff Susan Duff said he had a “horrendous criminal record” and highlighted 41 crimes of dishonesty, including breaking into people’s homes, which she said “goes right to the heart of a person’s sense of security”.
The sheriff said one of Michie’s victims gave evidence he “could not sleep for weeks” after the serial thief entered his house and crept into his bedroom to steal property while he slept.
The sheriff continued: “You (were) a one person crimewave in Ballingry at that time”.
Sheriff Duff jailed him for a total of three years and eight months, backdated to July 26 last year.
Swapped Valium habit for prison gym
Defence lawyer Aime Allan said Michie had struggled with his mental health in recent years and turned to drug abuse.
The solicitor highlighted a background of tragic events involving his partner in 2021 and a traumatic childhood.
Ms Allan said Michie has been remanded since July 26 last year and has now fully detoxed from Valium, which was the problem for him.
She said he is spending time in the prison gym and getting support from various teams in the hope he does not fall back into old habits.
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