A thief who broke into a popular Perth restaurant and helped himself to handfuls of cash left a trail of coins in his wake which led police right to him as he tried to evade capture.
Christopher Anderson was hiding behind a parked car when constables caught up with him after he smashed his way into Willows last year and nicked around £125 from a cash register.
Perth Sheriff Court heard last week Anderson also helped himself to tins of fizzy juice during the raid and when officers found him later on he told them: “I just had a drink and pinched a munchie.”
Sheriff Gillian Wade warned the 36-year-old last Thursday she was strongly considering sending him to prison for his offending.
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney told the court the restaurant’s owner Michael White received a notification at around 10.50pm on September 15 last year that CCTV within the establishment had been activated.
He said Mr White was then able to watch a live feed of Anderson robbing the premises on his mobile phone.
“He saw the accused smashing a cash register on the ground,” said Mr Sweeney.
“He saw the accused gathering the cash and putting it into his pockets.”
Mr Sweeney said Mr White then contacted the police and gave them a physical description of Anderson.
He said Anderson left the building at this point only to return a short time later looking for other things to steal.
“He walked into the bar area and took bottles of soft drinks from a fridge,” he continued. “He left again and walked along an alleyway leading to the High Street.”
Mr Sweeney said a number of officers then attended the restaurant and a witness told them what direction Anderson had headed.
“Police officers discovered a trail of coins in the alleyway at the side of the building,” Mr Sweeney went on. “They followed the trail and found the accused. He was hiding behind a parked car.”
The fiscal depute said when the officers quizzed about the break-in at first he replied: “I did not do it.” He said when he was asked a second time about it a short time later he stated: “I just had a drink and pinched a munchie.”
Anderson, of St Catherine’s Square, Perth, admitted breaking into the restaurant, forcing open a cash register and stealing cash, soft drinks and confectionery.
Sheriff Wade said she would reserve judgement until a criminal justice social work report had been prepared but warned Anderson a custodial sentence was at the forefront of her thinking on how to deal with him.
Anderson is now scheduled to return to the court on May 19 for sentencing.
