Prosecutors are seeking to recover money from a man who has pleaded guilty to a “very serious” series of thefts from university libraries.
Crown lawyers have launched proceeds of crime proceedings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court against 28-year-old Darren Barr, of Kinross.
The action was raised after Barr pled guilty yesterday to four charges of theft before Sheriff Kenneth McGowan.
Barr, who has one previous conviction, struck at three universities in the Scottish capital between October 2017 and September 2018.
He admitted stealing quantities of reference books from Napier, Heriot Watt and Edinburgh universities on these dates.
It is not known how much the Crown are seeking from Barr.
However, proceeds of crime actions are usually raised against criminals who have made a substantial amount of money from illegal activity.
Defence lawyer Murray Robertson told Sheriff McGowan that he and his Crown colleagues were trying to finalise details of an agreed narrative regarding his client’s actions, adding: “We are just getting our heads around it. This is a very serious matter.”
No details of Barr’s activities were given in court.
Sheriff McGowan deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports on Barr’s character.
He will be sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on September 10.
