A man has been jailed after nicking vapes and cigarettes during a dead-of-night raid at a Kilwinning shop.

Brian Galloway, 39, appeared from custody at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to breaking into the Spar premises on Baird Avenue. 

He was charged with stealing a till and its contents, cigarettes and vapes. 

The court heard how the manager of the store received an alarm notification at 3.10am on October 8 last year. 

He went to the shop and noticed that the rear door was open. He found nobody inside but cigarettes and vapes had been scattered on the floor, and the till was missing. 

Police were contacted and Galloway was identified using CCTV before being arrested at his home the following day. 

His lawyer told the court that Galloway was a warehouse worker before his arrest, and hoped to return to employment.

His client had an "extensive record, and a "long history of substance abuse" that was the principal driver behind the majority of his offences. 

The lawyer told Sheriff Robert Vaughan that Galloway was fully prepared for a custodial sentence, and reminded him that he had been on remand since October 10, and made a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

Sheriff Vaughan said: "I see a relatively serious charge and a lengthy number of previous convictions. A custodial sentence is inevitable. 

He was handed an 18 month prison sentence, backdated to October 10 last year.