Shoplifter who swiped bottle of wine falls asleep in dock

A man fell asleep in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court as he was fined £110 for stealing a £9 bottle of wine from Tesco.

Stewart Sangster’s “fairly foolish” attempt at shoplifting was captured by the CCTV cameras at Tesco Express on Union Street in Aberdeen.

The wine, valued at just under £9, was recovered but ended up costing Sangster far more than if he’d simply purchased it legally.

And the 52-year-old had to be nudged by a court security guard when he slumped forward and appeared to doze off during the proceedings.

Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the wine was valued at £8.80.

‘He was never going to get away with it’

Sangster, of Auchinleck Road, Aberdeen, pled guilty to a charge of theft by shoplifting.

Defence agent Iain Hingston said the poorly planned heist, which happened on September 8 last year, had been captured in “HD” by the store’s CCTV system.

He added: “He was never going to get away with it.”

Sheriff Rhona Wark said the theft was “opportunistic and fairly foolish”.

She ordered him to pay a fine of £110.

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