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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

Edinburgh champagne thief snatched 50 bottles from popular curry house

An Edinburgh man who stole nearly 50 bottles of champagne and wine from a curry house in a late-night raid has been sent to prison for two years.

Andrew Stobbs, 37, stole around £1,000 worth of alcohol during his visit to the award-winning Raj Mahal restaurant in Kinross in 2020.

Later the same day, Stobbs broke into a garden shed and was seen using a bicycle to flee the scene with a variety of stolen garden tools. Sheriff Euan Duthie jailed Stobbs and imposed a further six months supervision when he appeared for sentence at Perth Sheriff Court this week.

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Stobbs, admitted stealing from the Perthshire High Street restaurant on September 14 2020 to help fund a serious drug habit. He also admitted twice targeting the Kinross 4x4 Centre, a Land Rover dealership on Clashburn Road, and stealing two catalytic converters, a turbocharger and an exhaust pipe, reports the Record.

The court heard Stobbs was eventually caught by police months later when he was caught red-handed jumping out of the window of a house. He was tackled by police as he tried to make his escape through a neighbour's garden.

Fiscal depute Lora Apostalova told the court: "At about 4.30am, on September 14, 2020, a resident at Muirs, Kinross, heard footsteps crunching on the gravel of her garden, heading towards the front gate.

"Looking out her bedroom window, she saw a male carrying long, orange-coloured garden tools, wrapped in a plastic bag. She saw him get onto a bike and cycle away."

At about 7am, her neighbour woke to find her shed had been forced open, with wooden slats removed to get inside. Among the missing items was a hedge trimmer worth £330 and a £139 strimmer.

Ms Apostalova said, on the same day, Stobbs entered the Raj Mahal restaurant on Kinross High Street.

"Owner Jahed Ahmed confirmed that a cash register - valued at £400 - had been taken from the back area of the bar. It contained around £150 worth of money.

"Also taken was about £200 in loose cash, which was in a cupboard under the bar."

The fiscal depute said: "Mr Ahmed also confirmed that within his wine fridge, 38 bottles of various white wines, champagnes and Proseccos were missing from a bottle rack. Boxes containing 10 bottles of white wine were also missing. The missing drink was worth around £1,000."

Stobbs raided the 4x4 Centre on January 19 and February 1 the following year and took items from two vehicles. On February 6, Stobbs was spotted by a neighbour at a darkened, unoccupied property in Montgomery Road, Kinross.

"The witness heard a door banging open and heard items being flung around within," said Ms Apostalova. Police were scrambled to the scene and saw Stobbs jumping out of a window.

"They gave chase and caught the accused in a nearby garden. He was handcuffed and searched. A wrap of cocaine, with an approximate value of £180 to £200, was found on his person."

Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, said: "Mr Stobbs is realistic. All of this conduct stems from a drug habit that Mr Stobbs had."

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