A Stirling shop owner - who previously described disorder in the city as being like the ‘Wild West’ during the pandemic - said a lockdown raid on his store was akin to looting.
Ewen Duncan of Europa Music in Friars Street made the comparison after two thieves received community payback orders at Stirling Sheriff Court last week for the crimes.
Scott Dawson and David Grimshaw admitted breaking into Europa Music at the start of lockdown, on April 19 last year, and stealing lighters, pipes, plastic bags, and a grinder.
Mr Duncan said this week: “It’s good that they have received some sort of punishment for this break-in.
“I was £1000 out of pocket as a result - to repair damage like broken glass as well as the cost of the stolen goods. It wasn’t worthwhile claiming on insurance after you consider the excess to be paid and the hike in the premium after making a claim.
“It happened at the start of the pandemic when lockdown was pretty strict. Very little was open in the area at the time. I’d compare it to looting.”
Speaking out about growing disorder, in April this year, Ewen likened the atmosphere in the city centre to the ‘Wild West’.
He told the Observer at the time: “There are people wandering about exchanging packages openly and we’ve got teenagers going around creating merry hell before moving elsewhere such as Kings Park or the Top of the Town.
“There are people just sitting about openly drinking in the middle of the town.
“The problem has been accelerated by lockdown.”
Stirling Sheriff Court was told last week that council CCTV footage had been recovered by police which showed both accused - Dawson and Grimshaw - arriving at Europa Music at approximately 2.15am on April 19, 2020.
Fiscal depute Robbie McDougall said both were seen entering the front porch area before leaving and heading off down Friars Street.
Five minutes later they were again seen entering the store, before they left via the Friars Street entrance, but this time Grimshaw was carrying a holdall.
Mr McDougall said the items stolen amounted to £380.
Dawson, 35, whose address was given as a Stirling city guest house, also appeared on a charge of having a razor blade in the Barclays bank branch in the city’s Murray Place on July 7, 2020, as well as a charge of breaching a bail condition confining him to his accommodation between the hours of 7pm and 7am.
Dawson’s agent told the court that at the time of the break-in his client was “struggling with drug misuse, particularly heroin” and that the offence had been committed to fund the habit.
He added that Dawson had however been able to remain drug free for some tim
e and was making good progress.
His record also showed a large gap in offending, the lawyer said.
Grimshaw’s lawyer said since April 2020 only one matter had arisen – a complaint involving two shoplifting charges.
She pointed out the accused was “doing well” on a current Drug Treatment and Testing Order imposed on that matter, but it was “early days”.
His address while the report for the court was compiled had been his partner’s home in Plean, but Grimshaw hoped to get his own local authority tenancy in the village.
She said that in April 2020 Grimshaw had been “using heroin daily as well as diazepam”.
However, the 29-year-old was no longer using heroin and on a “recurring prescription”.
Both Dawson and Grimshaw were each sentenced to a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody by Sheriff Wyllie Robertson on the Europa Records break-in.
Dawson was given a CPO comprising 12 months’ supervision and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Sentence on the two other matters was deferred for good behaviour.
Grimshaw’s CPO comprised 12 months’ supervision and he was also placed on a six-month restriction of liberty order .
It states that he must stay in his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am each day.
