A drug-addicted robber has been locked up for jumping a vulnerable man at a Tesco cash machine in Aberdeen.
Shaun Lerche pounced on his unsuspecting victim as he withdrew £20 from the Great Northern Road ATM.
The 33-year-old grabbed hold of the man from behind and threw him to the ground, shouting “gimmie that” before snatching his wallet and running away from the scene.
Fiscal depute David Rogers told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the victim had left a friend’s address around 10.30pm on June 2 this year.
Intending to stop at a bar for one drink on his way home, he visited the cash machine at Tesco on Great Northern Road and withdrew two £10 notes.
Culprit caught with CCTV evidence
He was unaware of anyone else being close by, but, as he left the cash machine with the money and his wallet in his hand, Lerche grabbed him from behind and pushed him to the ground.
Mr Rogers told the court: “Once on the ground, the accused said ‘gimmie that’ before snatching the money and wallet from his hands and running away.
“As a result of the incident, the man sustained cuts and grazes to his left elbow.
“Afterwards, he contacted his cousin – telling him what had occurred. His cousin attended and conveyed him to another family member’s home and, once there, the police were contacted.”
Officers took details of the incident from the victim but did not take a formal statement because he “required the assistance of an appropriate adult”.
A CCTV camera recorded the incident and Lerche was identified from the video evidence.
Lerche, a prisoner at HMP Grampian, pled guilty to assault to injury and robbery.
‘He doesn’t have the benefit of the protection of the sentencing guidelines for young people’
Defence agent Liam Mcallister said his client apologised for his “shameful” conduct, adding that he had been at “the lowest point he’s been in his life”.
Mr Mcallister added: “He’s got a very bad record for theft by shoplifting and almost all of his previous convictions have been linked to chronic substance misuse issues.”
The lawyer explained that Lerche’s partner had been remanded in custody over a murder allegation and, left on his own, he had become homeless.
“He ended up sleeping on the streets,” he continued. “All the stability that was in place went to pieces and sadly he began abusing street drugs.”
Turning to the offence itself, Mr Mcallister said: “It was entirely opportunistic. It was not in any way premeditated.
“He’s now 33. He doesn’t have the benefit of being a ‘daft laddie’ anymore with the protection of the sentencing guidelines for young people.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said the incident marked a “significant escalation” in Lerche’s offending and jailed him for 12 months, backdated to June 4, when he was first remanded.
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