A man scaled a block of flats and broke into his drug dealer’s home through the window to steal cannabis.
Raymond Henderson, a prisoner at Perth, appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday, admitting the offence.
The 40-year-old was jailed for a year by Sheriff Alistair Brown, who said he had “no sympathy” for a drug dealer’s stock being taken.
However, he added that the theft of cannabis was “neither here nor there” and said his duty was to “protect the public” from Henderson, whose record shows numerous crimes of dishonesty, including a house-breaking in 2009.
The court heard that on June 26, the occupant of a third floor flat on Lower Hall Street in Montrose left to go to work, leaving a window open.
When he returned, he saw blood stains and damage to the drainpipe and windowsill from where Henderson had climbed in.
The damage amounted to £93.60 and the crime was reported to police, as the flat was a rental property.
The tenant initially omitted to tell police about the cannabis, claiming instead that £40 in cash had been taken.
Sentencing Henderson, Sheriff Brown said: “The court will have no sympathy for a drug dealer’s stock being stolen but it does have sympathy for the homeowner whose property was violated.
“In general I regard theft by housebreaking as a serious offence and the fact it was an illicit substance is neither here nor there.
“In this case the impact on the victim seems to have been less than it might otherwise have been.
“I’m seeking to protect the public from your behaviour.
“I’m also seeking to punish you for your crime and to rehabilitate you.”
The 12 months imprisonment was backdated to April 31, when Henderson was remanded in custody.
