A bold thief tracked down by police sniffer dogs after a brazen daylight raid on a rural Angus house has been jailed for a year.
Prolific crook Gavin Liddell, who has 91 previous offences, was found crouching in a bush, with rucksacks beside him stuffed with alcohol and other goods he had taken from a nearby house, where locals had eyed him suspiciously shortly before.
The occupants of the property were on holiday and a sheriff praised neighbours for their quick thinking in raising the alarm over what he said was a very serious crime.
Liddell, 33, of Ancrum Court, Dundee, admitted breaking into the house at Wester Restenneth, near Forfar, on August 8 and stealing items including a large quantity of alcohol, clothing, a blu-ray player, personal papers, a quantity of mobile phones and cash.
Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson said neighbours saw the accused in the garden of the bungalow around 11am, peering into the windows of the property.
“Fifteen minutes later, the neighbours noticed a window was wide open and they contacted police,” she added.
They arrived soon after and as officers were talking to the witnesses, Liddell began to walk up the drive but then turned when he saw the officers.
“A search of the area using a dog handler was carried out and the accused was traced in a bush with the two rucksacks,” she said. “An awful lot of alcohol was taken and by all accounts he was struggling to carry what he had.”
Defence agent Bob Bruce said his client was “no stranger to the courts” but added: “His offending is slowing down and he is now drug-free following a 12-day voluntary detox programme.”
Jailing Liddell, Sheriff Veal said: “By my reckoning, the accused has been in court on 59 previous occasions and there are 91 offences.
“It was only because of the alertness and quick actions of neighbours that these goods were recovered.
“He was subject to a Drug Testing and Treatment Order before this offence and custody is the only option.”