A hapless thief has been jailed for mistakenly breaking into a bank in Aberdeen in the early hours of Christmas Day.
The city’s sheriff court heard Michael Smith had been out with a friend in his mother’s car looking for a property to rob.
And his ill-informed accomplice told him the nondescript rear of the Royal Bank of Scotland branch on Albyn Place was in fact a garage.
Keen to make his December 25 jaunt a profitable one, he took a set of tools including a knife onto the roof to cut a hole.
It was only when he lowered himself inside and found himself trapped in a small cage, with cash machines all around, that he realised what he had done.
As the bank’s alarms sounded, the 35-year-old pipe layer scrambled back through his crudely cut hole.
Police were alerted to his blundering entrance and at around 2.35am they sent officers to the scene.
Units immediately spotted Smith and urged him to stop, but the would-be thief was determined to escape.
As he attempted to flee the scene, he collided with one officer, causing him to fall and strike his head against a police vehicle.
The 35-year-old was chased through the streets and subsequently detained, still in possession of one of his tools – a lock knife.
Appearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday, he confessed to breaking into the bank with the intent to rob and being in possession of a blade on him on December 25 last year.
Fiscal depute Vicki Bell said: “He initially claimed he had not entered the bank but he had been acting as a look out.
“The area had been entered and rummaged through but nothing was taken.
“The cost of the damage to the bank is unknown.”
Representing Smith, defence agent Graham Morrison claimed his client did not know the building was a bank.
He said: “The rear of the building has a felt roof which they cut through with the knife.
“Mr Smith dropped into what he thought was somebody’s garage but instead found himself in a square cage with no way in or out.
“He saw cash machines and realised where he was.”
He also said the knife was part of a tool kit which had been in the car prior to the incident.
Imposing his sentence, Sheriff Jack Brown accepted that explanation.
He said: “Those who break into commercial premises can reasonably expect to appear in the High Court.
“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt in that you did not realise what you were breaking into and that the knife was for the purpose of breaking in.”
He sentenced Smith, of Caperstown Crescent in Aberdeen, to 20 months imprisonment.