A sheriff jailed a Forres man for 41 weeks because, she said, he “liked to bully and frighten elderly women in their homes”.
James Shewan had been remanded for 26 days at Inverness Sheriff Court on several charges.
Yesterday, he admitted three offences of behaving in a threatening manner towards a 67-year-old, a 69-year-old and an 82-year-old.
The court heard he demanded money from three of the pensioners after entering their homes uninvited and took photographs inside the property of his oldest victim.
Shewan, of Tailwell, had his sentence backdated to May 14 when he was remanded in custody.
Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald told him: “These are shocking offences and I am appalled. You have a terrible record but because of the level that you have been prosecuted, I am restricted in my sentencing.”
She imposed the maximum one year sentence with a discount because of his early guilty pleas.
The offences happened at addresses in Forres between March 30 and May 12.
Fiscal depute David Morton said that on each occasion, Shewan left the property after being urged to by the women.
“One of the women was shielding because of her age and the Covid crisis and she was particularly alarmed by his presence.” Mr Morton added.
Defence solicitor Ben Thom said his client had undergone a full alcohol detox while on remand and was “more lucid than I have seen him.”
He added that his client accepted a jail sentence was appropriate, given his previous record which he admitted.