A veteran housebreaker with a criminal record stretching back 43 years has been spared another Christmas behind bars.
James Greer told police officers he was an “idiot” after being caught on CCTV as he tried to force entry to a disabled man’s home.
He told cops he thought the house was empty, but the occupant was sitting in his living room at the time.
Greer, 61, fled empty-handed but cops traced him three hours later after identifying him on CCTV.
Greer, of Greenrigg Road, Cumbernauld, admitted attempted housebreaking in the town’s North Carbrain Road on March 22 while on bail.
Airdrie Sheriff Court heard he was seen on camera entering the garden shortly after 7pm.
He walked towards the back of the house but a security light came on so he left, but returned 10 minutes later.
This time he was seen using a torch to look in the back door.
He then went to the front of the house, took a brick from his backpack, wrapped it in a towel and smashed the door panel.
Fragments of glass landed near the startled householder in the living room.
A woman nearby heard the noise and saw Greer running away.
After police officers found him, Greer said: “I wondered if there was CCTV. I’m an idiot. I thought the house was empty.”
Greer has dozens of previous convictions dating back to 1981. Many of these are for crimes of dishonesty and he has spent much of his adult life in jail.
Defence lawyer Samantha Anderson said he has only recently been diagnosed with mental health conditions, adding: “He displays a lack of consequential thinking and struggles to comprehend the rules.”
Sheriff Joseph Hughes expressed concern at the degree of planning that saw Greer equip himself with a torch and a brick.
However, the sheriff decided not to impose another prison sentence.
Instead, Greer will be confined to his home between 7pm and 7am each day for six months under an electronic tagging order.
He will be under social work supervision for two and a half years and must do 135 hours of unpaid community work.
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