Jail warning over raid on Thurso store
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A young Inverness man was one of a trio who carried out a late-night raid on a Thurso store.
Stephen Dick and two others broke into D&M Fraser's in Castlegreen Road on April 9 and made off with alcohol, soft drinks and electronic vapes.
Fiscal David Barclay told Wick Sheriff Court on Wednesday that they forced open a rear door using a hammer or similar tool.
CCTV footage showed all three of them going in at first but Dick later standing outside while the other two continued to raid the shelves.
They got away with £276.12 worth of goods, very little of which had been recovered.
Twenty-two-year-old Dick was later traced by police when he was wearing the same clothes as seen in the security camera clip.
Dick, of Mackintosh Road, pleaded guilty to carrying out the break-in with the two others, while on bail. He also admitted previous convictions.
Solicitor Marc Dickson said Dick has a history of mental ill health and is suspected to have an adult autism condition.
Sheriff Neil Wilson deferred sentence for four months to review Dick's progress on an existing community payback order.
He expected him to have by then completed half of the outstanding 200 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff said: "If you have done that and have stayed out of further trouble, I'd give you further hours of unpaid work.
"If you don't, I will send you to prison."
His bail was continued pending his return to court on February 21.
