Thief stole £100 from Hurlford woman's home

Nov 28 2008

A SNEAK thief who made off with £100 from an elderly woman's home was 'ashamed' of his conduct, a court was told last week.

Brian McKenna, 33, of Carters Rigg, Irvine, pleaded guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to stealing the cash from a house in Templetonburn, Crookedholm, in November last year.

Marcus Green, prosecuting, said the victim spotted McKenna walking past her house and went our to see what was going on.

Said Mr Green: “She went out to the back door and saw a woman who engaged her in conversation and spoke to her for some 10 minutes.”

When she returned to the house she found McKenna standing in her kitchen.

“She asked him what he was doing and he walked out of the house,” said Mr Green.

It was not until the woman’s carer arrived a short time later that checked her bedroom and found that £100 in cash was missing from a bag.

The carer later received information that McKenna had been responsible for the theft and he was arrested the same day.

Interviewed by police, he said: “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

David McCaig, defending, said: “I would like to publicly stated that he is ashamed of himself.

“His record has nothing like this previously and he is extremely disappointed and ashamed.”

At the time of the offence McKenna had a severe drug problem.

“He was desperate that day,” said Mr McCaig.

Jailing McKenna for 70 days, Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane told him: “You are ashamed of yourself and quite rightly so.”