Two men who botched a 3am wax jacket raid on a garden centre - after turning to crime during the Covid pandemic - have been jailed.
Ryan Bland and Michael Osborne from Edinburgh smashed a window at the Dobbies store on the outskirts of Stirling after travelling to the city to buy a van at a nearby travellers' site.
They loaded the van with nearly £22,000 worth of posh country togs, but panicked when police arrived, speeding off and crashing nearby.
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Osborne, who suffered a "nasty" ankle break and facial injuries in the wreck, was arrested immediately Bland made off on foot and was found hiding by a police tracker dog.
In total the pair took over 100 items of wax jackets and other outdoor clothing.
All but a single jacket and one pair of trousers, worth a total £385, were recovered.
At Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday, Bland, 39, and Osborne, 37, both of Niddrie, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to stealing the clothing by breaking in.
The offence was committed on October 19th 2020.
They appeared in court by video link from Low Moss Prison.
Lawyers for the two men said they had both been hit financially by the effects of Covid on their employment.
Gillian Law, for Osborne, said her client's regular employment had been completely lost to him because of the pandemic.
She said: "Facing difficult financial circumstances he became involved in this venture with a view to gain.
"It was the biggest mistake of his life."
Sheriff Craig Harris jailed Osborne for 378 days and Bland -- who has a previous conviction for reset -- for 405 days.
He said: "Only a custodial sentence is appropriate.
"This was a planned theft from commercial premises.
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"Even if you had been in Stirling to purchase a van at a trailer site, as you say, that does not explain your presence at Dobbies at 3.00 am.
"You went to those relatively remote premises in the early hours, under the cover of darkness.
"You smashed a window there to gain access.
"The harm you intended to cause was considerable, which would have involved a five-figure loss to the shop concerned, as well as the damage you caused and the general inconvenience."
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