A thief who attacked a pensioner who tried to stop her three-and-a-half-hour crime spree and claimed she would have him arrested for assault is facing jail.
Stacey Rice sneaked in to a series of homes in Dundee over the course of one afternoon in June while the occupiers were at home.
She made a string of excuses when she was caught by the householders and made off with hauls of cash, toiletries, clothes and jewellery. But when Rice was apprehended by 66-year-old Robert Wishart, the brazen crook claimed she would have him arrested for assault.
Brave Mr Wishart refused to let go and she responded by booting him in the groin. He and a neighbour managed to grab her and hold her for 10 minutes until police arrived to detain her.
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court jobless Rice has a string of previous convictions for theft, assault, robbery, fraud and housebreaking.
She said: “At 6.30pm Mr and Mrs Wishart, both aged 66, were in their living room when Mr Wishart felt a draft.
“He made his way into the hallway of the house to investigate and immediately observed the accused within the bedroom. He asked who the accused was and what was she doing within his bedroom.
“She stated: ‘I’m looking for my boyfriend, he told me he lived here’.
“The accused then started to leave the property and Mrs Wishart immediately noticed her bottle of perfume was no longer on display and shouted for her husband to stop the accused.
“Mr Wishart took hold of the accused’s wrist and Mrs Wishart checked the accused’s handbag and recovered her bottle of perfume.
“Mrs Wishart asked the accused what else she had taken and the accused at this point exited into the garden of locus.
“The accused at this point attempted to break free and was restrained by Mr Wishart. He refused to let go of the accused, at which point she turned and kicked him in the groin.
“A neighbour heard the Wisharts shouting for help and, on looking out, observed the accused to be attempting to break free and was kicking Mr Wishart. The neighbour attended and helped Mr Wishart restrain the accused until police arrived.”
Rice, 34, a prisoner at HMP Cornton Vale, pleaded guilty on indictment to four charges of theft, one of assault and one under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
All the offences were committed on June 12 at addresses in Hilltown, Dundee, and at Dundee’s police HQ.
Scott Norrie, defending, said Rice was due to be sentenced for other offences in January, and had been arrested on another theft charge at the weekend.
Sheriff George Way deferred sentence until January for social work background reports and remanded Rice in custody in the meantime.