A crack cocaine addict who carried out 36 crimes during a 60-day spree has been jailed for 40 months.
John Forbes stole a charge nurse's car from hospital while she was treating patients during the extraordinary two-month long burst of offending.
Forbes, 42, from Dundee, also stole charity cash, robbed several homes and stole other cars as he averaged one crime every 40 hours throughout the period.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Forbes was sent to prison and banned from driving for six years by Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown.
Forbes - described as a talented artist - admitted a six-page indictment detailing 36 crimes between 20 May and 18 July last year.
It is understood Forbes had been investigated in connection with more than 80 offences during the period.
But fiscal depute Lynn Mannion praised Forbes for holding his hands up to accept his guilt for 36 offences across various parts of Scotland.
She told the court: "The accused has saved the Crown a lot of work by negotiating pleas at the earliest opportunity."
Ms Mannion said Forbes' spree started on May 20 when he snatched a staff member's bag in a care home and used their keys to steal their Nissan Micra car.
Forbes then stole a Vauxhall Corsa in Dundee less than 48 hours later and stole a laptop during a sneak-in theft in Forfar.
The stolen Corsa was then spotted in Dumfries on May 24 and Forbes was arrested. He then appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court but was released again on bail.
On June 5, he jemmied open a locked filing cabinet inside Dundee City Church, and three days later he stole charity boxes from a veterinary practice in the city.
He then stole the keys to a Land Rover Freelander and used it as a getaway vehicle as he tried to carry out a number of frauds over the following days.
Another victim realised she had been targeted after receiving an app notification from her Ring video doorbell during the early hours of the morning. The footage showed Forbes creeping around outside at 4.52 am.
One victim came face-to-face with Forbes in her home and he ran off down the street when she screamed at him. He was caught on CCTV driving the stolen Freelander despite being banned.
On July 9, Forbes sneaked into Ninewells Hospital and stole a charge nurse's £21,000 Toyota CHR while she was working.
Ms Mannion said: "She parked her car and left her bag in the staff area on the ward. A health care assistant saw a male acting suspiciously. They followed him and he ran off.
"They went to the staff area and found the bag was missing. The nurse found her car had been stolen. CCTV footage showed him driving the vehicle on Tay Bridge."
The following day, Forbes broke into a 91-year-old woman's home in St Andrews and was filmed by the CCTV system set up by her family to monitor her safety as she lived alone.
On July 12, Forbes was caught red-handed in another home but managed to escape after persuading the owners that he had mistaken it for a Bed & Breakfast he was looking for.
Solicitor Jim Laverty, defending, said: "He accepts custody is inevitable. This was clearly a sustained crime spree between 20 May and 18 July.
"He negotiated pleas in relation to unmarked cases, which has saved the Crown significant preparation, and the public considerable expense.
"My client is realistic. He is remorseful, apologetic and ashamed of the behaviour he was involved in. He was crippled by an extremely pernicious drug addiction."
Mr Laverty told the court his client had a crack cocaine addiction but was a "talented artist" who hoped to use his skill to become a positive member of society.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
