A thief who stole a mobile phone and wallet belonging to a Scottish suicide victim just seconds after he died has been jailed.
Thomas Watson Lennox was seen on camera taking the belongings of Ross Elrick from a bench at Burntisland train station in Fife on January 24, 2021.
The 55-year-old was ordered to spend ten months behind bars when he admitted to a theft charge at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court last month, almost two years after Ross's death.
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The Record reports how the 31-year-old tragically lost his battle with anxiety and depression leaving his family and friends heartbroken at the loss of a "selfless and gentle soul."
Ross's brother Phil has welcomed the sentencing of Lennox and labelled it as "some sort of justice." Phil, 31, previously issued a plea to find Ross's phone in the hope it would contain some answers surrounding his death.
The dad-of-two said: "I feel it is the start of some form of justice for Ross in a way. I can't excuse this guy's behaviour whatsoever. He could have handed the items over to someone. But he chose to take them out of the station.
"We never got Ross's stuff back unfortunately. I kind of figured that the most probable reason that he discarded the wallet was because there was most likely no cash in it.
"Ross had already transferred the last of his money to my dad. The phone was in pristine condition so it could have been sold for a few hundred pounds but we don't know what happened to it.
"I'd obviously rather this than him do what he did and then get away with it and be walking the streets. I watched the CCTV clip and there's absolutely no doubt that he (Lennox) knew exactly what had happened to Ross and he took complete advantage of the situation.
"They didn't actually let me see the full clip because what happened to Ross is clearly in it. But the officers had to watch the event itself because it happened seconds before Lennox came in and took the stuff."
He added: "The train had come to a stop and he had spotted his chance, looked around to see if anyone was looking and then ran off with the items. The fiscal did say it was one of the most depraved acts of human behaviour she'd ever seen.
"The sentence is somewhat a result to be honest but I don't think there's any coming back from doing something as reprehensible as this."
Watson Lennox was swiftly caught by police and appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on February 2, 2021, before finally being jailed last month.
You can seek help by contacting Samaritans 24/7 free on 116 123 or by visiting Samaritans.org .
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