A house-breaker stole money intended to help send a man with a rare muscle-wasting disease on a dream trip to Florida.
Shaun Lovie (30), of Brechin Road, Arbroath, admitted stealing £50 which had been raised for Daniel’s Dream when he broke into a house in St Thomas Crescent on August 14. He also admitted stealing a TV, laptop, four rings, an iPad, two cameras, a razor and diazepam tablets from the home.
Daniel Mathieson (22) suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a debilitating condition which has left him confined to a wheelchair for most of his life.
Both of his brothers, James and John, have died from the condition and his family are raising money to send him on a trip to Florida in December.
At Arbroath Sheriff Court on Monday, depute fiscal Arlene Shaw said the home owner had been attending a fundraising evening and returned to his home at 10.45pm to find photo frames had been disturbed and his TV was missing.
”He immediately phoned the police and then discovered that other items were missing,” Ms Shaw said. ”The £50 mentioned in the charge was money he had collected for Daniel’s Dream.
”The rings belonged to his deceased father and the total value of the goods was around £5,000.”
She added that, when apprehended, Lovie was wearing one of the stolen rings.
It was subsequently learned that he had done some work for the victim in his home and so had been familiar with its layout.
Defence agent Billy Rennie said Lovie had no recollection of the housebreaking because he had taken valium that day.
”He tried to be as open and honest as he could with police but he couldn’t even recall how he entered the house.”
Sheriff Peter Paterson said a custodial sentence was ”inevitable”, adding: ”There are circumstances where the court tries to help people with drug problems but in your case previous attempts have been treated contemptuously.”
Lovie’s nine-month sentence was reduced by three months because of his early plea.