Jail for sneak thief who kept dog quiet with a chew as he stole from Wick house
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A sneak thief who stole from a neighbour's house in Wick after he kept their dog quiet with a tasty chew has been jailed for eight months.
Repeat offender Dylan Davidson entered through the unlocked rear door of the property in Upper Dunbar Street, Wick, on June 3 and left with several items including gaming consoles, a handbag containing bank cards, and car keys.
Davidson pleaded guilty on indictment at Wick Sheriff Court on Tuesday and also admitted an offending record.
The court heard that the victims of the theft had gone to bed upstairs in the house, having secured the front door – but not the back door.
David Barclay said that around 2.25am, one of them was awakened by "a clattering noise" from below and at first thought their dog had knocked something over.
The fiscal continued: "He went to check that everything was okay and on his way to the top of the stairs, he became aware a light that he thought might have been coming from a mobile phone. When he went downstairs he heard the back door closing and went outside but there was no-one to be seen and the police were contacted."
Davidson was charged following a police investigation which revealed that he had been trying to sell some of the items on Facebook. He was said to have been staying at a nearby property on a temporary basis.
Mr Barclay said: "The occupiers were somewhat surprised that their dog had not barked as it always reacted when visitors to the property came and went. Then they discovered the remains of a 'doggie' chew."
The stolen goods, which were subsequently recovered, included a £500 X-Box. The car keys had to be deactivated at a cost of £350.
Leonard Birkinshaw said that the accused, described as a prisoner at Inverness Prison, was "very realistic" about the sentence he was about to receive and accepted that it would be a custodial one.
The solicitor stressed that Davidson was facing a charge of a 'sneak' theft through "an open door" as opposed to one of housebreaking.
His jail term was backdated to June 7 when he was detained by police.
