A man who stole more than £12,000 of alcohol and tobacco during a late-night break-in has been jailed.
Jamie Selfridge appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted raiding the Premier Store in Cove by wrenching open the metal shutter and breaking a window.
The 34-year-old was caught when a quick-thinking member of the public heard a loud bang and filmed the break-in.
When Selfridge was located by police he was wearing the same clothes and was still in possession of some of the stolen items.
Tobacco cabinet was damaged
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that a member of the public looked out of his window at around 3.15am on February 26 this year after he heard a loud noise on Loirston Road.
He saw a grey Hyundai and several men, who he thought looked suspicious, so he began filming on his phone.
“The complainer observed two men walk from the direction of the store and get into the car before driving off,” Ms Simpson said.
The witness then called the police to report what he had seen.
When police arrived they found the metal roller door had been opened halfway and the lower glass panel of the front door had been broken.
The officers entered the store and found the tobacco cabinet had been damaged and a number of the drawers were removed.
CCTV footage from the shop showed Selfridge, along with other men, stealing alcohol, tobacco and foreign currency.
They were also able to identify Selfridge from the footage.
Clothing was the giveaway
Later that day, officers were informed that Selfridge had been spotted by CCTV operators on School Road in Aberdeen and he was wearing the same clothing he was seen in during the break-in.
Ms Simpson told the court that during the raid, alcohol and tobacco worth £12,260 and $1,000 of currency were taken.
Selfridge pleaded guilty to three charges of theft alongside two charges of behaving in a threatening manner towards shop workers in Aberdeen.
He also admitted two counts of repeatedly spitting at police officers as they tried to arrest him.
‘Value of goods stolen is significant’
Defence solicitor Ian Woodward Nutt told the court that his client “accepts that a custodial sentence is inevitable today”.
“Mr Selfridge is a man who has struggled all his adult life with substance abuse,” he said.
“It forms the background of these offences and the great majority of his offending.
“The value of goods stolen is significant and he knows he has a bad record for offending.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan pointed out the high value of the stolen items taken by Selfridge and told him this was a “matter of significance”.
He sentenced Selfridge, of Cairncry Road, Aberdeen, to three years and two months in prison.
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