A drunken man wandered into a Dundee pub when it had closed for the night and made himself a cocktail.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard the fire escape door had been left unsecured at The Capitol Bar, Seagate, after closing time on August 17.
Craig Whelan, 39, drunkenly discovered the door was unlocked and walked into the pub.
On doing so, he set off the fire alarm and when police arrived Whelan was found sat at a table with a bottle of whiskey and a cocktail shaker.
Fiscal depute Muhammad Sadiq told the court Whelan, of Fleming Gardens East, stole a bottle of Jim Beam worth £43.
Solicitor George Donnelly, defending, highlighted that although Whelan had previous convictions, his most recent was in 1997.
He said: “The fire door was left unsecured and Mr Whelan was walking along the Seagate and found the door open.
“He went in and not realising he had set off the fire alarm, he gathered alcohol and made himself a cocktail.
“Police found him sitting at a table with a bottle and cocktail shaker.”
Whelan was arrested and later released on an undertaking to appear at court but failed to appear when the case last called and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Mr Donnelly continued: “He found a wallet on the street last night and handed it in to police, however when he gave his own details police saw there was a warrant for his arrest and he was detained.”
He added that it was “always Mr Whelan’s intention” to plead guilty.
Whelan admitted stealing a quantity of alcohol from The Capitol, Seagate, on August 17.
Addressing Whelan, Sheriff Alistair Carmichael said: “I note that you’ve not been in trouble since 1997 and in that case you will be admonished but that is a warning not to do it again.”
Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for the pub, said: “As with any company, we take all such incidents very seriously but our main concern here is that nobody was injured as a result.
“It seems unusual that he was only interested in pouring himself a cocktail.
“It certainly is a one-off and we respect the judgment of the court.”
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