A serial crook who broke into a Dundee flat and guzzled a Capri-Sun was left with seven leg wounds after being bitten by a police dog.
Thief Gary Cummings, 33, pounced when the owner of a flat in Dunholm Road, Charleston, locked up and left at 10.30am on April 26 last year.
When she got home later that day, she saw one of the windows in the spare room was smashed and others were open.
A rock had been left on a sofa in the living room.
In the kitchen, cupboard doors were open and a Capri-Sun had been taken out of the fridge, drunk and left on the counter.
Bags had been left lying around.
Caught after second offence
Perth Sheriff Court heard, later that afternoon, Cummings activated a Ring doorbell at another property in the street.
He was confronted by the homeowners – who were out in Broughty Ferry – via their app and he apologised.
Police found him later that day and he was carrying two plastic bags and appeared to be anxious and under the influence of an unknown substance.
He was bitten by police dog Rocky and had to be taken to Ninewells.
In the bags, police found a Pandora Bracelet, an Amazon Smart Tablet and a quantity of clothes.
Cummings admitted both the housebreaking and also being in the curtilage of another property in the street where it could be inferred he was intending to steal.
The offences took place less than six months after Cummings was released from his last prison sentence.
He still had an unexpired portion of that jail term outstanding.
Scarred by police dog
Solicitor Steve Lafferty explained the father-of-one was keen to turn his life around after he is liberated.
Mr Lafferty said: “Regrettably, he’s got a very limited recollection of events.
“He was taking Valium to excess.
Mr Lafferty said the police dog wounded Cummings’ leg in seven places.
“He still has significant scarring on his legs.
“Regrettably because of his state of mind at the time, he didn’t know what he’d done.”
Sheriff Paul Reid jailed Cummings for 13 months, backdated to May 5.
For the offence caught on the Ring doorbell, a concurrent 30 day sentence was imposed.
He said: “There’s a depressing futility about having to impose a custodial sentence.
“The sentences will just get longer and longer if you keep doing the same thing.”
History of offending
In 2021, Cummings admitted telling Tesco staff he had friends with guns and he was carrying a blade.
Cummings threatened to stab another Tesco employee after leaving without paying for two cartons of baby milk in 2019.
In 2016, he was jailed for reset of a stolen van.
He and his brother were jailed in 2014 after they stole a seven-tonne tipper truck and drove 35 miles before crashing it into a police car.
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