A drug addict who went on a spending spree after almost £8,000 was stolen from an unconscious heroin user, was jailed for a year at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
Lauren Cowe, 25, of 9 Lower Kessock Street, admitted resetting the money from Lee Mullen at a house in Grant Street on May 13, 2014.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the court that Mr Mullen withdrew the money from his bank and spent some of it on alcohol and heroin which he consumed.
“He was in the company of Cowe and another woman. He fell unconscious and Cowe phoned the ambulance and waited for them.
“He was revived by paramedics and he became concerned about his holdall which contained the money. He told the ambulance staff that the other woman had taken it.
“The medics flagged down a passing police car and reported the alleged theft. The officers later traced Cowe who was found with a number of shopping bags.
“In her bag, clothes and underwear were several sums of money, totalling £2,633.30.”
Defence agent Shahid Latif said: “Even at the age of 25, my client has led a wasted life. When she is not in the vice grip of drugs, she presents as an intelligent young woman.
“But drugs strip her of her self esteem and she realises that the vortex of drugs and the pursuit of drugs must come to an end.
“She recognises that given her record a custodial sentence is the only appropriate sentence.”