An alleged thief has been charged with breaking into a Moray hair salon and stealing hundreds of pounds in tips and petty cash.
Steven Noble faces two charges of theft and one of theft by housebreaking, following the incident at Serenity Hair and Beauty on Elgin’s Academy Street.
The 41-year-old, whose address was given only as Elgin, was arrested on Thursday and appeared on remand at the town’s sheriff court yesterday.
He made no plea or declaration and was ordered to return to the cells until his next appearance before the court, expected to take place on Thursday.
The incident occurred at 5.45pm on Tuesday, December 27, and the damage was discovered the following morning.
Scores of appointments had to be cancelled while smashed glass was cleared up.
CCTV captured a figure entering the shop backwards in order to avoid detection.
Around £120 in tips – which had been donated to a hairdresser saving up for a holiday – was taken during the raid, as well as around £100 in petty cash.
Salon owner, Claire Emson, last night welcomed the swift police response.
She said: “The police called me on Thursday night to say they had arrested somebody in relation to the break-in, and I thank them for taking this so seriously and acting so quickly.
“We are still quite upset by what happened though, and we highly doubt we will ever get the money back.”