A thief shared stolen cakes with neighbours after breaking into a Hamilton cafe.
But Duncan Turriff “made it easy” for the police by leaving the crime scene in a taxi driven by a friend of the business owner.
Serial offender Turriff, 39, was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.
He admitted breaking into the Cottage Cafe in Low Waters Road on April 27.
He stole money from the till – thought to be at least £100 – a charity tin, meat, drinks and cakes.
Turriff also admitted stealing a games console, £60, a bluetooth speaker and a holdall from a house in the same street on April 6.
Liza Lann, prosecuting, said the cafe owner discovered the break-in after arriving to open the premises in the morning.
A taxi driver friend contacted the owner to say he had picked up someone carrying a basket full of meat, cakes and milk.
The cabbie passed on his customer’s phone number and told the police where he had dropped him.
Officers went to that address and caught Turriff as he tried to escape via a bedroom window.
They found stolen foodstuffs in the house and learned he had given some of the goodies to his neighbours.
None of the stolen cash was recovered.
Referring to the housebreaking, Ms Lann said the man who lived there returned from work about 10pm to find a window had been smashed and property taken.
CCTV showed Turrriff in the area, carrying a metal pole and the holdall stolen during the raid.
Defence agent Ken Bonnington said Turriff has a “severe” heroin addiction and steals to fund his habit.
He added: “My client was released from custody last September and stayed clear of heroin for a while.
“But he then started taking valium and moved on to heroin again. He has associates whom he finds it very difficult to break away from.”
Passing sentence, Sheriff Ray Small noted that, in separate cases since 2014, Turriff had been jailed for 15 months and three years for housebreaking.
The sheriff told him: “You have a horrendous record for this type of crime.
“I would have jailed you for 40 months this time but for your guilty plea at an early stage which entitles you to a discount.
“By distributing the proceeds to neighbours, you made it easy for the police.”
