A Forfar man has been jailed for eating his neighbour’s pies after breaking into his house and stealing them from the fridge.
Graham Martin had begged for food after spending all his benefit money on alcohol.
When the plea was refused, Martin prised open a window, raided the fridge of four pies and two blocks of cheese and made off with the £4 haul.
Martin (26), of Lily Wynd, appeared from custody at the town’s sheriff court on Thursday where he admitted the September 10 offence, while on bail.
Defence agent Nick Markowski said his client had a number of difficulties.
”He lives in supported accommodation and doesn’t take full advantage of that,” he said. ”He had spent all his benefits on alcohol, asked a fellow resident for food and when the resident was away he went in through an open window.
”He took the pies and cheese and left the fridge door wide open, and as a result now has a housebreaking conviction on his record.”’Unsavoury’The agent said his client had in the past asked for a custodial sentence because he had been homeless, but his main concern now was that another period in custody would see him lose his Forfar accommodation.
”He is easily led and when he was staying in Montrose he was a magnet for other unsavoury characters,” added Mr Markowski.
Jailing Martin for four months, Sheriff Veal told him: ”The realistic appraisal here is that a community-based disposal cannot be offered because of a history of non-compliance and the serial breach of bail conditions over a period of time.
”They have all been tried before and proved completely ineffective and unsuccessful.”