News / Back behind bars for copycat break in
A LERWICK man who broke into the same shop he was jailed for breaking into last year was sent back to prison for eight months at the town’s sheriff court on Thursday.
Iain Tulloch, aged 44, of 4 Harbour Street, was caught by CCTV cameras that filmed him rummaging through Home Furnishings on Lerwick’s Commercial Road on 24 December last year.
The court heard how Tulloch covered his face and used a ladder to reach a side window which he broke to enter the premises before checking the till, which was empty of cash, and then removing the disc from the CCTV camera.
Unknown to him, the CCTV was also recording footage onto its hard drive allowing police to identify him from his distinctive clothing that was found later at his home, along with the missing CCTV disc.
Appearing from custody on Thursday, Tulloch admitted stealing three hip flasks, several packs of leather cream, two rig grippers, two flasks and some batteries, as well as breaching bail conditions.
He committed the offence three months after he had been released from prison early for breaking into the same shop.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Tulloch had told the police he could not remember that night because he had been taking valium, though the actions recorded by the CCTV showed a man who was not impaired by drugs.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had been depressed after coming out of jail and had so little money he was relying on handouts from friends and food parcels from the Salvation Army, and had been drinking and taking valium at the time.
He added that Tulloch had been under a curfew from 5pm until noon every day since the offence and then placed on remand after breaching a bail condition that he present himself at his home address to the police when they called.
Sheriff Philip Mann sentenced Tulloch to 25 weeks for the break in, three weeks for breaching bail and ordered him to complete the last six weeks of his original prison sentence.
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