A WOMAN faked a break-in to her home and used up extensive police resources, a court has heard.
Leigh-Anne Irving called police in the early hours of September 9, 2024 to say the front door had been forced and a money tin stolen.
Police attended and found the door had been forced. The 48-year-old had returned on a different day and hadn't reported immediately.
Scenes of crime officers attended, door-to-door enquiries were carried out, and CCTV was examined.
But then it became apparent the allegation was false. Police listened to a 27-minute phone call from a prisoner to Irving "to work out what happened," prosecutors told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on June 1.
In the call, the other person said police had taken DNA from him to rule him out of the theft.
The fiscal depute told the court: "She stated she would phone and just say she had been broken into and say the only thing missing was the tin you put money inside."
Irving later pleaded guilty to falsely representing to police that she had been a victim of a break-in. This temporarily deprived the public of services.
In a separate case, on September 8, 10 and 11 last year, she stole hundreds of pounds worth of cosmetics from Boots in Lower Vennel.
Further cases related to repeated breaches of curfews imposed by the court.
After a breach of curfew in December, she told police: "What's the f*****g point?"
Her defence solicitor, Peter Murray, said her long-standing drug and alcohol addiction was the "cause of, and fuel for, the vast majority of offending".
But she had relapsed and there was a "spate of offending" and the addictions "raised their heads again".
Irving, of East Broomlands, went into custody on May 1 and underwent a "rapid detox" and now felt "far better" than before.
Sheriff Morag Fraser said: "You appear before the court on a number of matters, most relating to breach of bail. However, the social work report indicates there is some scope for supervision and hopefully prevent further offending."
She imposed social work supervision for two years, with a requirement to take up any drug and alcohol services as required.
Irving must also do 150 hours of unpaid work within a year. Five of the seven cases were deferred to call again when the court order is reviewed in August.
The sentence is a direct alternative to custody.
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