A man has been jailed after snatching cash from pensioners in Aberdeen city centre to fund his cocaine addiction.
Sean Cameron, 43, appeared from custody at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and pled guilty to four charges of theft from a person.
During the offences, which were committed between February 2 and 8, Cameron targetted elderly people, grabbing money, on some occasions after his victims had withdrawn cash from an ATM.
On February 2 Cameron stole a quantity of money from a 77-year-old man on Union Street.
Three days later he struck again, stealing a purse and its contents from a 67-year-old woman on Market Street.
On February 7 Cameron again stole a purse and its contents, this time from an 80-year-old female on Union Street.
And the following day he stole money from a 63-year-old woman at WH Smith in the St Nicholas Centre.
In each of the offences the value of cash taken was less than £100.
Three of the incidents occurred after the victim had withdrawn cash from an ATM, with the other coming after a woman had approached an ATM before realising she had £80 in her purse.
Solicitor Mike Monro said: “For once, as a defence agent, there’s not a thing I can say in mitigation of the offences because they are exactly as they are.
“They’re thefts from persons not in their first flush of youth.
“He elected to commit thefts in an area of Aberdeen where you cannot move for CCTV.
“He accepted his guilt right from the outset.
“When he was arrested by the police he didn’t even want to speak to me, all he wanted to do was to make a full, frank confession to the police.
“He managed to keep himself out of trouble for the last five years, but unfortunately over the last few weeks he’s gone back to taking crack cocaine, and the end result is he committed these thefts.
“They were opportunistic.
“He realises, because of his record and how serious these offences are at any time, but particularly at this time, that there is no alternative but for a prison sentence.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin ordered Cameron, of Farquhar Road, Aberdeen, to be jailed for a total of eight months.
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