A STEVENSTON man has been jailed after breaking into a home and stealing a car in the town.
Dannie Singh also broke into and stole items from a number of other vehicles across his home town during a two-day crime spree he committed in a bid to pay off his drug debts.
The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to a total of six charges in relation to a number of incidents last year when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, January 13.
The offences began at around 5am on September 24, 2023, on the town's Boglemart Street - where Singh broke into two vehicles, stealing a wallet and its contents from one of the cars.
The procurator fiscal depute told the court that one of the car's owners had heard his vehicle's alarm going off and on going outside to investigate noticed a smashed window and that his wallet was missing from inside.
The items were not recovered.
Police were contacted but Singh was not traced at the time despite being identified as a suspect from CCTV footage located nearby.
Later that day officers had heard that the 32-year-old, described in court papers as a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, had been seen hiding in the bushes a few streets away in Muir Drive.
Again police were unable to locate the suspect, but they did see two damaged cars.
CD boxes and a small sum of cash were missing from one vehicle, parked in Muir Drive itself, while nothing was missing from the second, which was parked at Muir Drive Cottages nearby.
Then, on the night of September 25, a resident of nearby Fullarton Place was woken by the sound of his car door being opened.
This resident then discovered the front door of his home had been forced open and that his car and house keys were missing - and moments later realised his car had been taken.
Police were again contacted, and Singh was spotted on CCTV footage loitering in the area.
This time Singh was traced by cops, who found him in possession of the missing car key.
“I stole the car, they’re not mine," Singh told police.
“I tanned the cars last night as well. You know I did, I’m a scumball and a junkie and I have drug debt.”
Singh's solicitor Scott Agnew then explained to the court that the 32-year-old "has issues with the misuse of drugs".
He added that Singh had moved to the area from Dumfries in an effort to overcome these issues, "but unfortunately his issues followed him".
Mr Agnew added: “He quickly ran up debt related to his misuse of drugs. He became desperate and it led to this behaviour.”
The court heard that the offences were committed while Singh was on licence after being released from a previous prison sentence in April - imposed for the very same offence.
Sheriff Murdoch Mactaggart told Singh: “You have committed these offence while on early release for your last sentence - for exactly the same offences you are now convicted of.”
Singh was returned to prison to serve the 122 remaining days of his previous sentence.
On top of that, he'll then serve a further nine months for the Stevenston incidents.
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