Features / Man given prison sentence after stealing nearly £2k worth of goods from Unst shop
A MAN who stole almost £2,000 of goods from a shop in Unst has been sent to prison for eight months.
Jamie Brown, of Hebburn in South Tyneside, previously admitted stealing a range of items from the Skibhoul Stores in Unst after a late night raid on 30 October last year.
The court previously heard how the 35-year-old was in the island visiting his father when he carried out the theft, which involved smashing a window at the shop to break in.
Among the items he stole were 82 packs of cigarettes, 19 bottles of spirits, a money box, charity box and around £155 in cash. Some of the items were recovered but not able to be re-sold.
The court previously heard how the estimated cost of the lost items was £1,826.76, with the window costing a further £341 to repair.
Brown also admitted causing his father fear or alarm by behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, and uttering threats.
Last month he was also remanded in custody after failing to appear for sentencing.
He appeared from custody via video link Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday for sentencing, where Sheriff Philip Mann said he could see no alternative to custody.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client could not recollect much from the incident and said there was little he could say in mitigation.
But he acknowledged it was a “very alarming” incident not just for the shop and the community, for Brown’s father too.
Allan told the court that Brown was unable to control his drug use at the time of the offence.
He said spending time in custody has allowed his client to “reflect on things, but also to reduce his dependence on drugs”.
The court previously heard there was “public disquiet” in Unst about the shop incident, which was unusual for a community like Shetland and even more so for a small island like Unst.
Suspicion quickly fell on Brown, the court heard, who refused to speak to shop staff when approached at a bus stop.
When Brown’s father returned to the island, and to his home, he found Brown brandishing kitchen knives and threatening to hurt himself.
The “scared” man was able to talk Brown into going upstairs, at which point he was able to leave and call for help.
Sheriff Mann described the offences as serious, adding that Brown had taken a “significant quantity” of goods from the shop.
He gave him a prison sentence of eight months for the break-in and theft at the shop.
Brown was also fined £1,000 for the offence relating to his father, but he was given no time to pay – with the alternative of 45 days in custody to be served concurrently.
The prison term was backdated to when he first entered custody on 27 February.
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