Alastair Davidson jailed for thefts from five Largs shops

Crack cocaine user Alastair Davidson stole items worth thousands of pounds in a bid to “fund a very expensive habit”, a court was told.

Davidson was locked up after pleading guilty to five separate charges of theft committed in August and September of last year.

Three of those charges also involved breaking into shops in the town, while the 28-year-old also admitted a further offence of breaching a condition of bail.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court was told Davidson’s three-week theft spree began at Superdrug on Aitken Street on August 27.

The procurator fiscal depute told the court that Davidson, formerly of Boyd Street, stole beauty products worth £180 which were never recovered.

And he went back to the same shop two days later and walked out with electrical products worth £300 without paying.

Both incidents were seen by staff and captured on CCTV footage.

Then, on September 3, Davidson stole more electrical goods, this time worth £620, from the Boots store on Main Street.

Staff were told about the incident by a bystander; again, the items were never recovered.

The very next day, the 28-year-old turned his attention back to Aitken Street, where he was seen climbing on the roof of the Largs Mobile Phone Centre and damaging the roof before entering the property.

Davidson made off with several mobile phones, including new Samsung and Apple handsets as well as some phones which were at the store awaiting repair, before leaving the same way he had entered.

The next morning the shop owner discovered 19 phones had been stolen with a total value of £2,570. Again, these items weren’t recovered.

Police arrested Davidson at his home address on September 7 and took him to Saltcoats police station.

As he was led away, Davidson said: “My lawyer will be getting me out tonight. I’m no staying in Saltcoats.”

A search warrant was obtained for his home, but none of the stolen items were found.

Davidson appeared in court in connection with the thefts and was released on bail – but then, on September 18, he returned to his theft spree, targeting the Largs Mobile Phone Centre for a second time.

Shortly after midnight, the court heard, he again climbed up on to the roof of the shop – and after discovering that the way in from his previous raid had been sealed up, he created a new hole in the roof to get in.

This time he spent 40 minutes inside the store, opening cabinets and boxes, and filling a bag with more mobile phones.

The value of the damage caused and items taken on this occasion was unknown to the court.

Just a few hours later, at 4.15am that day, Davidson used a brick to smash a glass panel at the front door of the Gypsy Cream café in Frazer Street before gaining entry and stealing a tip jar.

A friend notified the owner of the damage the following morning and police later attended to note the damage caused.

Police attended Davidson's address later that day after he was identified from CCTV footage. He was cautioned and arrested, but while being interviewed under caution he denied the allegations.

The court also heard that under the conditions of his release on bail, Davidson was required to stay within his home address between 7pm and 7am – meaning that the incidents on September 18 also constituted a breach of bail.

He was back in court the following day, and was remanded in custody.

Gillian Swanney, defending, said her client had “a history of drug misuse”, particularly with heroin and Valium.

She added: "At the time of these offences he was in a relationship with a female who introduced him to crack cocaine.

"These offences were committed to to fund a very expensive habit."

Ms Swanney said that despite Davidson’s drug issues he had never engaged with addiction services or been placed on a methadone programme.

She told Sheriff Murdoch Mactaggart: "He has had a number of custodial sentences, but it has been some years since he had the benefit of statutory supervision.

“There is a correlation between his drug misuse and his offending.

"Rather than period of imprisonment I would ask your Lordship to give consideration to calling for reports, to see if he would be suitable to a drug treatment and testing order.”

Sheriff Mactaggart told Davidson: “You were caught for the first four matters and then went on to commit further offences.

“I take the view that this is such a serious catalogue of offending I can only deal with it by way of a custodial sentence."

Davidson was jailed for 32 months, backdated to his initial remand on September 19.