Thief pinched two balls from Stenhousemuir garden

James Campbell (27) struck three times in two days at three different gardens, stealing goods people had left in their seemingly secure properties.

Appearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, Campbell, had admitted the thefts he committed in Sutton Park Crescent on April 18, Jamieson Avenue and Tipperary Place on April 20.

The court heard a resident looked out into their locked up and secured back door area to see two of their children’s footballs lying on the ground. However, that was not the case a short time later.

"A witness driving past saw a male walking along Church Street with footballs under both arms,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “Then the resident noticed the two footballs were no longer in her garden.”

While she did not contact police at the time to report the two footballs – worth a total of £50 – officers were made aware of it once Campbell struck at other premises and his crimes were posted on social media.

Another resident notice her £40 garden hose was no longer in her garden where she had left it the previous day. She also realised it must have been stolen when she read about the thefts in the area on social media.

Campbell was arrested after he was stole a charity bag full of £60 worth of clothing from the end of another resident’s garden.

Martin Morrow, defence solicitor, told the court Campbell had been having problems with his Valium addiction at the time.

He said: “He is ashamed of his conduct, albeit he has no recollection of it.”

Sheriff Derek Livingston said: “There were two boys who could have been quite upset about losing their footballs at the time."

He placed Campbell, 32 Kinnaird Drive, Stenhousemuir, on a community payback order with the condition he complete 135 hours unpaid work within 12 months and pay a total of £150 compensation to his three victims.