A serial offender has been jailed for trying to break into a city centre office after a sheriff declared he had the worst record for dishonesty he had ever seen.
Peter Michie appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted attempting to force open a door to an office on Crombie Road with intent to steal.
The court heard the 42-year-old had been captured on CCTV trying to prise the door open with a screwdriver.
And when that didn’t work the dad-of-one proceeded to smash a glass panel on the bottom of the door.
Fiscal depute Lynzi Souter said that when office staff returned to the building the next day, on April 6 this year, they found the panel broken.
Mrs Souter said the damage done to the door was estimated to cost around £1,000.
The court heard police were then called and CCTV footage was viewed which clearly showed Michie with his hood up attempting to gain entry.
Mrs Souter said the footage was then placed on the Police Scotland intranet and officers recognised him as being a repeat offender.
Michie was then found and arrested and admitted carrying out the botched break-in.
The court heard Michie has been addicted to drugs for more than 20 years and committed crime to fund his habit.
Sentencing Michie, a prisoner in HMP Grampian, Sheriff Graham Buchanan said there was no alternative than to send him to prison given his lengthy record.
He added: “I must say this is the longest record for dishonesty I have ever seen.”
The sheriff ordered that Michie return to prison, having been released early from his last sentence, and serve the remaining 59 days.