A frail Angus pensioner was paralysed with fear after an “out of his face” drug addict neighbour appeared in her bedroom in a horrifying 3am incident.
The Forfar 87-year-old had been wakened by the noise of her front door being burst open by Kevin Smith, who identified himself after she repeatedly called out to see if someone was in her home.
Smith has been sent back behind bars for what a sheriff branded an “appalling offence”, just months after the 35-year-old was jailed for stealing a bank card from a friend who had died from an overdose.
Depute fiscal Jill Drummond told Forfar Sheriff Court the OAP was wakened at 2.50am by the sound of someone talking and pacing up and down outside her home, before she heard a loud bang.
“She was able to hear her door opening and a person entering her room,” said the fiscal.
“She was extremely frightened and could not get out of bed. She called out several times asking if anyone was there but got no reply.
“The accused then identified himself, saying ‘It’s Kevin’.”
Smith left and was spotted outside the flat “talking to the plants”, the court heard.
Police found him in the common hallway, making no sense but with alcohol, a drinking glass and £90 taken from the OAP’s home.
When questioned about the incident, he told officers: “I cannae mind anything like that.”
Appearing from custody, Smith, of Priory Court, Forfar, admitted behaving in a threatening manner and theft on October 25 this year.
Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said: “He has made it clear he is ashamed of his behaviour.
“There was no intention to do anything, this was not a clear-thinking offence.
“He can’t undo what has happened but he can hopefully move on from this. He accepts there is a likely inevitability to this.”
Jailing Smith for six months, Sheriff Derek Reekie told him: “It is an appalling offence. For this poor lady it doesn’t get much worse and it is no excuse to say that you didn’t mean to do it but you were so out of your face.
“This must have been absolutely terrifying for this poor lady who has the misfortune to be your neighbour.
“She must go to her bed at night wondering if he is going to come wandering in again,” said the sheriff.
In June, Smith was jailed after the same court heard how he had tried to use a friend’s stolen bank card at a local building society as paramedics tried in vain to save him.
Smith had called 999, but then left the flat with the card to try to recover £50 which the tragic victim had been looking after in his account.
