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Raider tagged after he caused nearly £10,000 damage to Aberdeen Grammar and post office

Liam Garden smashed through a stained-glass window at the city centre school and swiped vapes from the Berryden post office.

Liam Garden broke into Aberdeen Grammar.
Liam Garden broke into Aberdeen Grammar.

A north-east burglar who broke into a school and a post office where he caused nearly £10,000 worth of damage has been electronically tagged.

Liam Garden, 21, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted smashing windows before climbing through and helping himself to expensive items.

It was stated that Garden stole laptops and a projector from Aberdeen Grammar before ransacking into a post office in Berryden and making off with £150 worth of vape cigarettes.

Basement door was ajar

Fiscal depute Rebecca Coakley told the court that around 3pm on April 22 last year a janitor at Aberdeen Grammar closed the building and saw everything was secured.

A few days later, on April 27, he returned to that area of the school and saw that the basement door was now ajar.

He inspected the outside of the building and saw that a portion of a stained-glass window had been smashed.

The janitor entered and saw that two laptops and a school projector had been stolen, with a value of around £740.

However, it was the damage to a large stained-glass window that was most costly, with the replacement cost being £6,400.

On October 18 last year, the Post Office at Berryden Retail Park was closed and secured.

Around 1.20am, an alarm company called stating there had been an activation.

When the witness got to the Post Office she found “significant damage” to a window which was large enough for a person to fit through.

A review of the CCTV showed Garden smashing the window and climbing inside, where he selected a number of before leaving again.

The total value of the vapes taken was £150, while the damage to the Post Office was £3,000.

Aberdeen Grammar School. Image: Paul Smyth/DC Thomson.

‘Significant disruption’

Defence solicitor David Sutherland told the court that a background report carried out into his client showed that he felt remorseful for his actions.

“There is reference within the report to his mental health and he has also suffered from substance misuse – but he is making changes in that regard,” Mr Sutherland said.

“It is also accepted that the property taken was of a significant value.”

Sheriff Andrew Miller told Garden that he was a young man with a limited record that “doesn’t feature crimes of this kind”.

“These are obviously not crimes of violence or public disorder, but nevertheless they are serious offences that cause significant disruption to the organisations involved.

“We have also heard about the significant damage caused, the cost of which requires to be paid by one source or another.”

As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Miller made Garden, of Fordyce Place, Laurencekirk, subject to a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.

He also put a restriction of liberty order in place, meaning Garden will have to wear an electronic tag for six months.

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