Addict stole war medals

Apr 7 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A RECOVERING heroin addict stole military memorabilia worth hundreds of pounds from The Black Watch Museum in Perth – just days before the regiment flew out to war-torn Afghanistan.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that the museum, in Balhousie Castle, is currently undergoing renovations and although it is still open to the public, parts of it are off-limits.

On Friday, March 13, an employee took a Crimean War Medal, an Indian Mutiny Medal and two Indian coins from a display cabinet and put them in one of the rooms out of bounds to the public.

On March 25, however, 27-year-old Alan Brown, of Glover Street, Perth, was spotted in an office and was asked to leave as it was a restricted area.

After he left it was discovered that the medals and coins, worth £700, were missing.

CCTV footage was viewed and the accused was seen opening drawers in the room.

When challenged by police, he came clean and told them the medals were at his flat.

He also handed over a pair of socks – and inside one of them were the coins. All the items were recovered.

Brown admitted stealing the items from the Hay Street museum on March 25.

He also pled guilty to stealing a total of £110 in cash from a changing room at nearby Bell’s Sports Centre on the North Inch the same day.

Solicitor Linda Clark said that the accused had managed to get his heroin habit under control and was undertaking a horticultural course at Perth College, held down a part-time job and had his first-ever tenancy in Glover Street.

“During the last two years, by a process of self-referral, he has managed to get himself on a methadone programme,” she added.

“That has been reducing and came to an end, at the behest of Mr Brown, on March 8.”

He realised, however, that he shouldn’t have stopped his methadone so soon and for several weeks he wasn’t “stable” and had taken valium.

He had managed to stay out of trouble for two years and “couldn’t believe” he had landed himself back in court.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher agreed to defer sentence until April 29 for a range of background reports.

Because of his lengthy record, however, and the nature of the offence, Brown was remanded in custody until then.