Offender stole cash, bankcard and car during drugged up daytrip to Falkirk

A bogus workman was flying high on cocaine when he fast talked his way into an 87-year-old man’s house and threatened to kill him unless he handed over his wallet.
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Travelling from Airdrie to the Falkirk area father-of-four Alexander McPhee (33) managed to worm his way into the homes of three elderly people in under four hours.

Appearing from custody via video link at Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterday, McPhee pled guilty to nine charges, including attempted fraud, fraud, assault, assault and robbery, dangerous driving, drink-driving, and driving in breach of an existing 12-year disqualification.

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The incidents all occurred on January 8 between 11.30am and 4.20pm.

McPhee was sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterdayMcPhee was sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterday
McPhee was sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterday

He first talked his way into the home of a 79-year-old woman and told her he had cleaned her gutters and she owed him £40.

Thankfully one of woman’s neighbours in Hawley Road, Falkirk, spotted McPhee at the house. He then crossed the road and told the chancer to beat it.

McPhee was then seen to walk around the corner, looking up at people's roofs, before ringing another bell and trying to con £85 out of a 91-year-old woman in nearby Cromwell Road for three roof tiles he lied he had replaced.

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Her 62-year-old son, who happened to be visiting, intervened and both of them told McPhee to sling his hook.

McPhee shouted: "Are you stupid?"

He then punched the old lady's son in the head, taking his car keys in a terrifying struggle in the kitchen in which one of them fell against the old woman, causing her to fall back into her chair.

McPhee then drove off in the man's seven-year-old Vauxhall Corsa, with “tyres screeching”, to Laurieston about a mile and a half away, where he conned his way into the home of the 87-year-old.

The man had just got home, and McPhee, who is thought to have been watching the street for elderly victims, knocked on his door two minutes later.

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He said he had previously done work on the house and had received a complaint about water pressure.

On being asked for identification, McPhee told the elderly resident: “Do you not recognise me? We don't carry IDs. I'm not here to rob you.”

After pretending to check the taps, McPhee then entered the bedroom, with the man following behind.

Shaking a set of keys in the old man's face, McPhee told him: “Take a seat on the bed and give me your wallet or I'll kill you.”

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After robbing him of £30 and his bank card and PIN number, he added: “Don't move for 10 minutes. There's two guys up the hill watching you.”

He then drove off at speed in the stolen Corsa, while the elderly resident tried to get through to his bank to notify them his card had been stolen.

Michael Maguire, procurator fiscal depute, said: “The resident was placed on hold and by the time he spoke to a call handler he was informed that £290 had been withdrawn from his account.”

McPhee had driven to nearby Redding where he had withdrawn the cash from an ATM before going into the local Redding superstore, where he tried to use the stolen card to buy £30 worth of Buckfast and cigarettes.

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By this time the cancellation of the card had gone through, however, and when the transaction was declined he paid in notes.

Less than an hour later, police received a report the car McPhee had stolen had been driven into a lamp-post in Caldercruix, North Lanarkshire.

Officers began to search for the badly damaged car, and saw it being driven by McPhee along Main Street, Plains.

They signalled for him to stop, using blue lights and sirens, but he accelerated away.

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Mr Maguire said: "He was driving at 50 miles an hour on roads where the limit is 30, swaying from side to side, mounting the kerb and hitting grass verges, and causing oncoming cars to take evasive action."

Near Millhall Court, Plains, he eventually lost control, "fishtailing" and crashing into a field.

Smelling strongly of alcohol he was handcuffed, and told cops: "You've caught me."

A breath test showed he was nearly four times the drink-driving limit.

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Defence solicitor Sandy Morrison said McPhee had been abusing drink, Valium and cocaine on his criminal bender.

He added: “That's not an excuse, but it's an explanation why he behaved so disgracefully.”

Sheriff John Mundy jailed McPhee, of no fixed abode, for four years and banned him from driving for life.

He said: “This was a very, very serious and worrying course of offending on this particular date.”