An elderly crook who took his daughter on regular shoplifting trips has admitted a string of crimes.
George Keen, 76, admitted being responsible for shoplifting offences over several months along with his daughter Lesley Whyte, 50.
His 76-year-old wife, Mary Keen, had also been charged by police with a series of shoplifting offences, but the case against her was dropped by the Crown as part of a plea deal.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how Keen made repeated visits to Perth to steal items from a number of city centre stores.
He and Whyte admitted seven charges each between October last year and March.
Solicitor Billy Boyle, defending, said Keen and Whyte admitted their guilt, but that the Crown had agreed to accept not guilty pleas to all charges from the pensioner’s wife.
Keen and Whyte had their sentences deferred for the preparation of social background reports.
They both started their shoplifting spree by stealing a quantity of perfume from Debenhams on Perth High Street in October 2014. They returned to the store in March and carried out an identical crime before returning to Perth a week later and targeting five other stores in a day.
Keen, from Larchfield Gardens, and Whyte, of St Leonard Terrace, both Dundee, stole a pair of jeans and a top from River Island in the St John’s Shopping Centre.
They then stole groceries from Poundland and a number of items from Claire’s Accessories.
They also stole a pair of tights and a pair of shoes from Primark on the High Street, before taking a kimono from Loretta’s Collections on Murray Street.
At the time of their arrest, a police spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a 76-year-old man, a 75-year-old woman and a 50-year-old woman were charged in connection with shoplifting offences in Perth.”
As they left court they changed clothes, turned their collars up and put on hats in a bid to avoid having their photograph taken.
Whyte has shoplifting convictions dating back to 1998 and has had cases dealt with in Dundee, Kirkcaldy and Stirling.
A police source said: “We couldn’t believe it at first when we got reports about this elderly couple and the third woman who was with them.
“The old couple were quite smartly dressed and looked like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth.
“They looked like they were about to set off on a Saga holiday.
“But when we watched them and saw them on CCTV it became clear that this was a professional shoplifting operation.
“Their appearance was the perfect cover as shop workers would never suspect them.”