A man who had been given a home by his sister repaid her by stealing a gold bracelet from her and pawning it for less than half its value, Dundee Sheriff Court heard.
The £1,000 gold bracelet was melted down before it could be retrieved.
Grzegorz Lukasz Gasiorowski, 22, c/o the Lily Walker Centre, Ann Street, Dundee, had sentence deferred until November 19 by Sheriff Gerard McMillan.
He admitted that between October 27 and November 3, at an address in Brownhill Road, he stole the bracelet.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin said he had been living with his sister and she noticed the bracelet was missing from its box.
She asked her husband if he had moved it and he said he had not so suspicion fell on her brother.
He denied it when she called him but then he failed to return home and did not answer any phone calls.
The accused was then seen sleeping outside the house on Friday and police were called and he was arrested.
He was found in possession of two receipts, one for £279.48 and another for £434.83.
Sheriff McMillan told Gasiorowski: “You have come very close to jail today and I don’t guarantee that you will not go to jail when you return to court.
“To steal from your own sister and do what you did is beyond disgusting.”
Solicitor Anika Jethwa said the accused was having financial problems and had owed some friends money.
She said he thought he would be able to get a job and buy the bracelet back for her, but was unable to do so.”