An Aberdeen man who was on the hunt for alcohol used a pickaxe to smash his way into a Lidl store in the middle of the night.
Graeme Fyfe was caught red-handed during the ill-fated raid as his bumbling bid to get booze triggered the King Street store’s burglar alarm.
Police raced to the shop and found the 47-year-old still inside, gathering seven bottles of vodka.
Officers also discovered a pickaxe next to a shutter door, which Fyfe had damaged as he broke in.
Fiscal depute David Rodger told Aberdeen Sheriff Court staff closed and secured the Lidl store at 10pm on December 5, setting the alarm system as they left.
‘Aye, it was me’
But at 1.55am on December 6 the alarm was activated, and a Wales-based firm monitoring the system viewed a live feed which showed Fyfe inside the shop.
Police were alerted, along with the store manager.
Mr Rodger said: “Police attended and, on arrival, the loading bay shutter was found to be damaged.”
Officers traced Fyfe inside the shop and found the pickaxe next to the door, along with seven bottles of vodka and an eighth one that had been smashed.
The value of the booze came to £150, however, the cost of repairing the shutter was unknown.
On being cautioned and arrested, Fyfe told the cops: “Aye, it was me.”
‘Almost inevitably, it resulted in him being caught’
Fyfe, of School Road, Aberdeen, pled guilty to theft by housebreaking and possession of a pickaxe.
Defence agent Lynn Bentley said her client had a “long-running problem with drugs, but never alcohol”.
She went on: “He’s at a loss to explain why he behaved in that way, other than he had consumed non-prescription valium.
“It’s bizarre behaviour to go into a well-secured premises with an alarm system and, almost inevitably, it resulted in him being caught.
“The pickaxe was not to be used in any way as a weapon. It appeared to have been used to gain entry to the building.”
Sheriff Lesley Johnston ordered Fyfe to be supervised for 12 months and imposed a three-month curfew.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen, as well as the latest crime and breaking incidents, join our new Facebook group HERE.
