Thief avoids jail after cars and watches worth £250k were stolen from home
A thief has narrowly avoided prison after cars and watches worth £250,000 were stolen from a house in East Kilbride.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard the raid happened during a 20-minute period when the householders were out walking their dog.
Leon Barnes, 23, was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid community work within 12 months.
He admitted being involved in the break-in and theft at Glengoyne Court on November 6, 2022.
Barnes was caught after his DNA was found inside the property.
Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said the householders left around 6.15pm to walk their dog, locking the doors as they did so.
He told the court: 'When they returned 20 minutes later they noticed the front door was ajar. There were muddy footprints in the hallway and on the stairs.
'Two Audi cars, each worth approximately £50,000, were missing along with the car keys and a quantity of valuable watches, some of which were Rolex.
'The cars were recovered in Edinburgh but the watches, which are worth around £150,000, have never been found.'
Mr Thomson said entry to the house was gained by smashing a rear window.
That area was swabbed by scenes of crime officers and Barnes's DNA was found.
Barnes, of Drumbrae Drive, Edinburgh, admitted previous convictions.
Defence lawyer Mark Hutchison said he was 'in the grip of bad company' at the time of this crime.
Mr Hutchison added: 'He has since managed to turn his life around. He got himself off drugs and obtained full-time employment as a scaffolder.'
Sheriff Mungo Bovey said he was willing to impose the maximum period of unpaid work as a direct alternative to a custodial sentence.
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