A serial criminal has been jailed for more than two years after he broke into a home and stole a couple’s cherished wedding rings.
Ricky Davidson appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted carrying out a daytime housebreaking in the city’s harbour area, which netted him around £2,600 worth of jewellery, watches and computer equipment.
The court heard the 31-year-old took three laptops, a mobile phone and jewellery – including an engagement ring and the couple’s wedding rings.
Just minutes later, Davidson was seen trying to sell the stolen goods at a local shop.
Davidson, who has a long criminal history of theft and assault, also admitted mugging a man for a mobile phone and threatening a member of the public who tried to alert police.
Accused broke down door
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said at around 2pm on April 5 last year, a neighbour of the couple heard a rattling noise at the door of his flat on Palmerston Road, Aberdeen, as if someone was trying to put a key in the lock.
As the man went to unlock the door he heard the person walk away down the hall and shout back “Sorry, mate. Wrong flat”.
He locked the door again but 10 minutes later heard loud banging on his door like someone was attempting to break it open.
While holding the handle and bracing himself against the door, the man shouted “who is it” and heard a person running away from the door but did not hear the communal door open or close, which he considered suspicious.
“He felt scared by the incident and called the police and a friend,” Ms Gammie said.
Housebreaker got away with £2,600 haul
The man then went to all the floors and found one flat door lying ajar so went downstairs to the communal door to wait for the police to arrive.
At around 3.30pm that afternoon, his neighbour returned and the man approached her and informed her that there had been a break-in.
She went upstairs and saw her door lying half-open and there was damage to her door and saw that a number of items had been taken.
Three laptops, a Samsung mobile phone, her wedding and engagement rings and her husband’s wedding ring had been taken.
Five bracelets, three necklaces, four wristwatches, and five rings had also been taken.
The total value of these items was approximately £2,600.
CCTV footage recovered by police showed Davidson entering the communal block and then leaving in possession of a red and white gift bag.
He was then seen walking into a local convenience store where he tried to sell some of the items to a worker there.
A warrant was granted for Davidson’s partner’s home where the gift bag was recovered alongside some of the stolen items.
The total value of the recovered property was £1,250.
During a separate incident on November 22 last year, Davidson accosted a member of the public and grabbed him before taking his mobile phone and demanding the man give him the pin number.
Davidson and a woman then disappeared into a block of flats.
As a cyclist stopped to aid the victim he was asked to call the police, at which point Davidson reappeared and threatened the man, telling him to “mind his own business”.
Ms Gammie said that “after a lengthy standoff with police” Davidson was arrested and taken into custody.
Davidson pleaded guilty to one charge of housebreaking and a second charge of attempted housebreaking.
He also admitted a charge of assault and an additional charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.
It was stated that Davidson, who has a long list of previous convictions, was subject to an antisocial behaviour order and on bail at the time of these offences.
‘He’s a relatively institutionalised person’
Defence solicitor John Hardie told the court that Davidson had been made subject to his first prison sentence at age 16 and has “had periods of custody every year since then”.
“Now, nearly 20 years later, he’s a relatively institutionalised person,” he said.
“At the time of these offences, he had become seriously involved in crack cocaine and he takes ownership of what he has done.
“There’s no question in his mind that the only appropriate disposal today is a period of custody – he absolutely accepts responsibility for these serious criminal offences.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin sentenced Davidson, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, to 28 months in prison, backdated to November 9 2022.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.