A callous thief who robbed a vulnerable elderly women to get money for drugs has been jailed for 18 months.
Sneaky Duncan Johnstone preyed on unsuspecting pensioners in a catalogue of what a sheriff called “frankly despicable” crimes.
However, he blundered by offering to do gardening work for his first victim, a 73-year-old woman in Livingston, West Lothian.
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Before stealing her handbag containing almost £160 in cash and supermarket savings cards worth £275 from her home as she made him a cup of tea he handed her a business card with his name on it.
The newly released prisoner subsequently went on the rampage in West Lothian, stealing hundreds of pounds from other old ladies by snatching their handbags and escaping in a Motability car he’d stolen from a disabled parking bay.
Livingston Sheriff Court was told the hapless addict was caught after CCTV footage captured him snatching the handbag off the shoulder of an 80-year-old woman.
The shocking video on social media showed him showing her a disabled parking badge before grabbing her belongings and running back to a white Hyundai i10.
The pensioner opened the passenger door of the car in a desperate bid to get her handbag back but Johnstone sped off, throwing her onto the road.
Shrieking and screaming in anger and disbelief at what has happened to her, the woman then flags down a delivery driver to ask for help.
Roshni Joshi, prosecuting, said the delivery driver told police the pensioner was “distressed and shaking” after her ordeal.
She went on: “She told him the male had showed her a blue badge and stolen her bag before driving off.”
Johnstone was caught within hours after police pursued the vehicle he was using.
As they chased him he sped in the centre of roads, weaving between other cars while travelling at more than double the 30mph speed limit and failing to stop for red lights.
After officers lost him to sight, they found the car lying empty with the doors open and the keys still in the ignition.
Johnstone was traced and arrested nearby within an hour and, when asked who had been driving the car, he admitted: “It was me”.
He was identified by his victims from police photographs of suspects and when interviewed he told officers where one of the missing handbags was hidden.
It contained Paracetomol and details of the owner’s address, but the £190 it had contained was missing.
Miss Joshi said Johnstone had told police that he had a “severe” drug addiction to heroin and Valium and, had he not been arrested, he would have continued to offend and be a risk to the public.
Johnstone, 33, a prisoner at Kilmarnock, pleaded guilty at Livingston Sheriff Court to stealing the first woman’s handbag and contents in her Livingston home on 12 November 2021.
He admitted stealing the Hyundai from outside a house in Pumpherston, West Lothian, nearly a year later on 6 August 2022 and stealing a handbag outside Morrisons in Carmondean Centre Livingston later that day.
He also pleaded guilty to striking a 54-year-old man as he made his escape from Morrisons, causing the man to fall to the ground.
He further admitted assaulting and robbing the 80-year-old the following day and causing her to fall to the ground to her injury as he drove off with her handbag.
In addition he pleaded guilty to driving dangerously as police tried to stop him following the brazen, daylight robbery.
Jackie Jobson, defending, claimed Johnstone, who had been in and out of prison since he was a teenager, had no control over his addiction at the time of the offences She said: “He’s told me he’s deeply disgusted by his behaviour.
“He’s stated that he’s experiencing grief at how his behaviour has affected others, and he’s asked me to indicate to the court that there’s no excuse for his behaviour.
“He understands he’s caused hurt and he’s experienced a level of regret at the trauma he’s put people through that will stay with him for the rest of his life.”
Passing sentence, Sheriff Peter Hammond told Johnstone: “You have pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offending.
“Some of the charges on the indictment are frankly despicable and demonstrate you targeting elderly, vulnerable individuals and stealing their property using a mix of deception and force.”
He said the 18 month sentence would be consecutive to the sentence Johnstone is already serving and told him he would also be banned from driving for six years.
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