A CLUMSY crook was foiled by police after he was spotted 'staggering around' with a jar of coins sticking out of his rucksack following a break-in at a nearby house.

Ardrossan thief Gareth Higgins was caught just metres from the scene of his crime in West Kilbride when loud dog barking alerted the homeowner to the housebreaking incident last year.

The 57-year-old was captured by officers on the village's Meadowfoot Road, just a street away from the address he had illegally entered on Nethermiln Road.

Higgins appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, September 24, where he pleaded guilty to the offence, as well as four other, unrelated, charges.

He also admitted breaching conditions of his bail on two occasions, stealing from a convenience store, and failing to attend a court hearing.

Procurator fiscal depute Gemma McKechnie told the court that Higgins' catalogue of offending began on September 14 last year at the village property, which was occupied by a young female homeowner and her friend who was staying with her.

The pair had both been asleep on the night in question before they were awoken by the owner's dog barking loudly.

They both then came into the kitchen to check on the pet and in doing so, released that a key was missing from the door within the room.

Looking around, the property owner further noticed that a jar containing approximately £200 had been removed from the area.

She also noticed that her purse, which contained cash and her passport, had been taken.

Her friend's canvas bag, which held her purse and similar personal items, was also missing.

The court heard that shortly afterwards, the pair noted a male outside the home with a rucksack on his back. Police were contacted and were made aware of the incident as the suspect walked away.

As officers were en route to the property, in nearby Meadowfoot Road, a man - later identified as Higgins - matching the description was spotted "staggering around" and appeared to be under the influence.

Police stopped Higgins and saw there was a jar of coins sticking out of his rucksack.

The thief told the constables that he was heading to the nearby train station, however, a search of his bag recovered all of the items described as stolen from the property.

As a result, Higgins was then arrested and taken to Saltcoats police office.

Higgins later breached the conditions of a court order after being released on bail, while he was found to have stolen more than £30 worth of goods, including cold meats and chocolate bars, from Morrisons Daily on Central Avenue.

Defence solicitor Simon Brown said his client has a "long-standing difficulty with drug addiction".

He added that Higgins has had some success in dealing with the issues after going "cold turkey" while remanded in custody and is now "in a much better position".

Sheriff Colin Bissett said there was "some merit" in looking into the potential for a community-based sentence due to the steps already taken while Higgins has been in prison.

The sheriff called for reports and deferred sentence to a later date, with Higgins remaining in jail until then.