A Montrose man stole a designer duffle bag from a train luggage rack just six weeks after he’d been given a prison warning for a virtually identical offence.
Gordon Heron boarded the LNER service at Arbroath and hopped off at Montrose with another passenger’s bag.
The holdall contained about £700 worth of property.
The 38-year-old was caught after British Transport Police trawled through onboard CCTV.
Heron admitted the theft when he appeared from custody at Forfar Sheriff Court.
Owner made inquiries
The court heard how passenger Ryan Wade travelled from Newcastle to Aberdeen on September 1 last year.
Mr Wade only noticed his bag had vanished when he got ready to disembark, after the train left Stonehaven.
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond said Mr Wade had boarded the LNER service at Newcastle at 4.30pm.
He boarded Coach K with a black backpack and a black and grey North Face duffle bag, which he placed in the luggage rack.
After noticing the bag was missing, he checked other coaches and spoke with the train manager.
The following day, Mr Wade also phoned lost property desks at the stations in Newcastle, Aberdeen and Edinburgh as well as checking with LNER.
He then contacted British Transport Police who were able to review onboard CCTV within a week.
On September 16, they executed a warrant and searched Heron’s home.
Officers found the jumper he was wearing on CCTV and uncovered toiletries, vitamins and a Remington shaver which matched the victim’s description of what was stolen.
However, Ms Drummond said the crown couldn’t be sure how much, if any, of the man’s property was recovered.
Behind bars
Solicitor Billy Rennie, defending, said his client had been remanded since March 8.
Mr Rennie said Heron could not remember the incident. “He accepts full responsibility but can’t provide a full explanation,” he said.
Sheriff Krista Johnston jailed Heron for 60 days.
She added another 60 days for a string of thefts in Montrose, which he admitted to in June 2022.
She said: “You’re not a young man.
“You have a bad record. You showed some persistent offending.
“I don’t consider that an alternative to custody is an appropriate disposal today.”
Heron was given a prison warning and was banned from travelling by rail through Angus after he pilfered luggage in May 2022.
Then, Sheriff Derek Reekie was told Heron had drug and mental health issues and was already being supervised.
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