A sneak thief who crept into a Dundee woman’s bedroom and stole her bingo winnings has been jailed.
John Lawrie clambered in through a window before making off with his victim’s handbag, containing £750 cash.
The woman, who had been saving up to buy a mobility scooter, woke to see the 37-year-old housebreaker leaving her room.
Lawrie was snared by DNA left on the window of the property at Tofthill, Lochee.
He returned to Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday, having previously pled guilty to breaking into the house on February 10 this year.
Lawrie, described as “ashamed” of his actions, was jailed for 16 months, backdated to February when he was first remanded.
Society’s disgust
Defence solicitor Jim Caird said: “He has always accepted responsibility for this matter.
“There is a report, it does suggest there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
He said: “Mr Lawrie accepts the seriousness of what he did.
“He has never committed housebreaking before.
“He describes it as a one-off matter, of which he is greatly ashamed.”
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael told Lawrie: “You are 37. The reports tell me you have never really worked and you have a chronic drug problem.
“You have a previous record, including violence and dishonesty.”
He said: “You broke into the house at 3am and stole (your victim’s) handbag.
“You stole more than £700, and it turns out this was money that had been saved up to buy a disability scooter.
“Your victim has heart problems and has been left shaken after finding you in her bedroom.
“In my view there is no alternative to a custodial sentence, to reflect society’s disgust at this behaviour.”
Victim left ‘aghast’
Fiscal depute Gavin Burton previously told the court that the victim had used her husband’s bank card to withdraw between £200 and £250 for an evening at the bingo hall.
She left later with her starting kitty, as well as £500 in winnings.
The money was all in £10 and £20 notes in her handbag.
In the early hours of the next day, she woke in bed “feeling that someone was in the room.”
She spotted Lawrie leaning down and taking her handbag.
She initially thought it was her husband but then saw Lawrie leave the room.
Mr Burton said: “(She) was clearly aghast at the experience of someone being in her room when she was sleeping.”
Her husband carried out a sweep of the house and found their bathroom window was ajar.
Lawrie, of Earn Crescent, Dundee, was brought from remand in HMP Perth – where he has been since February 27 – to court to admit breaking into the Tofthill home and stealing a handbag and its contents.
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