A serial thief broke into a dead woman’s house and went through her jewellery boxes before leaving bloodied fingerprints on the family’s sympathy cards.
Prolific housebreaker Robert Merchant had only been free from prison for a few weeks when he targeted two homes in Aberdeen, one of which lay empty following the recent death of its owner.
The 62-year-old repeat offender rummaged through the deceased woman’s jewellery boxes and even opened and rifled through the sympathy cards posted to the house.
He was traced after police matched blood left on a kitchen worktop to his DNA.
Chased from another home
That same day he had been caught red-handed trying to break into a neighbouring house off Garthdee Road.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told Aberdeen Sheriff Court how a homeowner there heard a knock on her front door, followed by the smashing of glass.
“She saw a male stretching his arm through the broken window pane and reaching for a set of door keys, which were hanging in the back of the door,” she said.
“She shouted at him and he ran off, carrying a white plastic carrier bag filled with items.”
Police were called and found the glass had been smashed using a brick.
Officers took it upon themselves to check neighbouring homes and discovered the break-in at the other house.
Left blood on sympathy cards
Miss Simpson added: “Due to the secluded location of the two properties police officers checked the other house and noted a bedroom window was smashed, with a garden chair pushed against the wall.
“A large brick could be seen inside, along with numerous empty jewellery boxes. Wardrobes, kitchen cabinets and cupboards appeared to have been searched through.”
It turned out the owner of that home had died earlier that month.
“The woman’s daughter attended and found blood spatter throughout,” the fiscal added.
“She found that condolence cards had been opened and there was blood on the envelopes.”
Merchant was seen on CCTV running away from the homes carrying a carrier bag.
He appeared via video link from HMP Grampian and admitted one charge of theft by housebreaking and another attempted housebreaking with intent to steal.
Defence agent Neil McRobert said his client had a drug problem and had been released from prison just weeks prior but with “no support in place”.
He said Merchant, now an inmate at the South Road prison but previously of the Holburn area of Aberdeen, acknowledged his guilt “from day one” after falling into a recurring cycle of drug abuse on his release from jail.
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Merchant: “At the time of these offences you were still subject to an unexpired sentence following sentencing for convictions of exactly the same type.
“Only a significant sentence will suffice to mark the seriousness of these offences against an unexpired sentence.”
He handed Merchant 244 days imprisonment with respect to his unexpired portion of his old sentence. That will be followed immediately by a 10-month spell in prison.
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