A man has been charged with carrying out a series of raids, including the theft of a charity tin, during a five-month period in Moray’s biggest town.
Kevin Ritchie, from Elgin, is accused of stealing cash, including a tin of charity donations, and tools from premises in his hometown.
The 50-year-old allegedly stole about £20 after breaking into the Blythswood Care charity shop on North Street at the end of January.
Yesterday, the Elgin resident appeared at the town’s sheriff court after months of investigations from police officers.
Ritchie is accused of stealing about £1,000 after breaking into a business premises on Perimeter Road on the Pinefield Industrial Estate overnight between Monday and Tuesday this week.
He allegedly stole tools on three separate occasions from a building site on Haugh Road between April 19 and May 8.
Police revealed the Elgin resident has also been charged in connection with an attempted break-in at a business on Hill Street between April 28 and 29.
Last night, Alistair Kennedy, chairman of Elgin Community Council, explained the group has been notified of several thefts in the town since the beginning of the year.
He said: “We get a safety bulletin from the police every month, so we’ve been aware of a series of thefts – you never know if they are linked in any way or not.
“It’s good to know the police don’t close the book on incidents even if they happened months ago and nobody has been charged yet. They deserve to be congratulated for that.”
Ritchie made no plea or declaration in court yesterday when facing a charge of theft, two charges of theft by housebreaking, a charge of theft by opening a lockfast place and a further charge of attempted housebreaking with intent to steal.
The Elgin resident was remanded in custody and had his case continued for further examination.
Detective Sergeant Andrew Wilson, who led the police investigations, said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who assisted with these inquiries and provided information.”
