A son was caught trying to flog £18,000 worth of his mum’s jewellery to fund his drug habit.
Cameron Brownie swiped a £10,000 diamond solitaire ring, £7000 blue sapphire ring and £1000 gold necklace from his mother Anne, 63.
The 23-year-old was rumbled when he tried to sell the haul for a fraction of its value via his own Facebook account.
His sister spotted messages on an iPad from potential buyers and shopped him to their mum.
Yesterday, Brownie sat shame-faced in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court
with his forgiving mum supporting him from the public benches.
She submitted a letter to the court pleading for leniency and saying she hadn’t wanted her son to be prosecuted.
The court heard Brownie’s behaviour had first aroused his mum’s suspicions last July.
Prosecutor Christy Ward said Anne was stunned when her son offered to put out the bins. She then watched him at the bottom end of the garden, where he appeared to be meeting someone.
He was in conversation with another man and then tried to conceal drugs in his trousers. His mother took the two bags of white powder off him and flushed them down the toilet.
Shortly afterwards, her daughter tipped her off about the Facebook messages.
Anne confronted her son, who handed back a diamond ring.
Later the same night, her daughter spotted another message which read: “Tell your mum she can have her ring back for £400.”
Anne checked her jewellery box and realised other pieces had disappeared.
Brownie admitted he had already flogged the sapphire ring and the necklace.
His dad Graham, 62, ended up handing over £400 to get back the ring from the buyer.
The family got the police involved and eventually the necklace was also recovered.
Brownie, of Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, admitted stealing the jewellery.
Sheriff Ian Wallace placed him under a year-long social work supervision order and ordered him to do 60 hours of unpaid work in the community.
