A one-man crimewave made off with 48 bottles of wine from a Kinross curry house.
Andrew Stobbs stole £1,000 worth of booze when he raided the award-winning Raj Mahal.
The 37-year-old even walked away with the cash register, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
Stobbs admitted stealing from the High Street restaurant on September 14 2020, to help fund a drug habit.
That same morning, he broke into a garden shed and was seen cycling away with hundreds of pounds worth of tools.
He also admitted twice targeting the Kinross 4×4 Centre, a Land Rover dealership on Clashburn Road, and stealing two catalytic converters, a turbocharger and an exhaust pipe.
The court heard Stobbs was eventually nailed by police last year, after he was seen jumping out of the window of a house.
He was tackled by police as he tried to make his escape through a neighbour’s garden.;
Sheriff Euan Duthie deferred sentence for background reports and indicated Stobbs faces prison.
Escaped by pedal power
Fiscal depute Lora Apostalova told the court: “At about 4.30am, on September 14, 2020, a resident at Muirs, Kinross, heard footsteps crunching on the gravel of her garden, heading towards the front gate.
“Looking out her bedroom window, she saw a male – about 5ft 10in, medium build and wearing a hooded top – carrying long, orange-coloured garden tools, wrapped in a plastic bag.
“She saw him get onto a bike a cycle away.”
At about 7am, her neighbour woke to find her shed had been forced open, with wooden slats removed to get inside.
Among the missing items was a hedge trimmer worth £330 and a £139 strimmer.
Restaurant raid
Ms Apostalova said, on the same day, Stobbs entered the Raj Mahal restaurant on Kinross High Street.
“Owner Jahed Ahmed confirmed that a cash register – valued at £400 – had been taken from the back area of the bar.
“It contained around £150 worth of money.
“Also taken was about £200 in loose cash, which was in a cupboard under the bar.”
The fiscal depute said: “Mr Ahmed also confirmed that within his wine fridge, 38 bottles of various white wines, champagnes and Proseccos were missing from a bottle rack.
“Boxes containing 10 bottles of white wine were also missing.
“The missing drink was worth around £1,000,” she said.
Police chase
Stobbs raided the 4×4 Centre on January 19 and February 1 the following year and took items from two vehicles.
On February 6 this year, Stobbs was spotted by a neighbour at a darkened, unoccupied property in Montgomery Road, Kinross.
“The witness heard a door banging open and heard items being flung around within,” said Ms Apostalova.
Police were scrambled to the scene and saw Stobbs jumping out of a window.
“They gave chase and caught the accused in a nearby garden,” the fiscal depute said.
“He was handcuffed and searched.
“A wrap of cocaine, with an approximate value of £180 to £200, was found on his person.”
Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, said: “Mr Stobbs is realistic and knows that only a custodial sentence will be imposed.”
She said: “All of this conduct stems from a drug habit that Mr Stobbs had.”
Sheriff Duthie deferred the case for background reports – to investigate a potential supervised release order – until the new year.
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