Thief who stole Perth widow's wedding ring jailed

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A man who stole a Perth widow’s wedding ring during a brazen daylight raid has been jailed.The 78-year-old woman challenged Nathan Taylor on her own front doorstep after she discovered him in her home in the city’s Florence Place one afternoon last month.However, she was unable to stop him running off with a jewellery box as well as a purse and its contents.The pensioner was said to be “shocked” when she realised Taylor had got into her house while her back was turned and had even locked her out as he searched the property for something to steal.Perth Sheriff Court heard when Taylor realised he had been rumbled and first opened the front door again to make his escape he told the woman he had been “looking for Willie”.“The witness noted a white jewellery box protruding from his pocket and asked what was in his pocket,” fiscal depute Bill Kermode told the court last week.Mr Kermode said the woman asked Taylor to empty his pockets but he shouted at her and refused to turn out his pockets then attempted to barge past.“He refused and attempted to leave the locus,” he said. “The witness attempted to take hold of him [but] he broke free and ran off in the direction of Asda.

While he was running he dropped a pair of earrings worth £40.”Mr Kermode said the pensioner then checked her property and discovered Taylor had taken hundreds of pounds worth of jewellery including her old wedding ring which was said to be worth around £290 and a purse which had £50 in it.Taylor (31), of Skinnergate, Perth, pled guilty to stealing the jewellery box, a quantity of jewellery and a purse on April 26 this year.Perth solicitor David Holmes told the court last Wednesday Taylor had “no memory of what had gone on” that day.Sheriff Keith O’Mahony