A Johnstone man has admitted stealing the credit card of a woman he considered as a grandmother.
James McAdam, 20, stole elderly neighbour Mary Broadley’s credit card and PIN number and went on to spend almost £300 on PlayStation extras.
Callous McAdam, of Spruce Avenue, also admitted going on to steal various items from Linwood's East Fulton Primary School, including a laptop, power drill and stationary totalling £1500.
Heartless McAdam, who now works as a courier, then went on to steal a further £515 from his elderly neighbour.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Mary Broadley lives two doors away from McAdam and that she has been a friend of his family for a number of years.
The court was told Broadley and McAdam’s relationship was one similar to “grandparent and grandson.”
Sheriff Gillian Craig ordered him to repay his victim, blasting his vile behaviour and “breaching a position of trust.”
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Procurator fiscal depute, Jason Stark explained: “On October 1, 2018, Ms Broadley received a new credit card and PIN number from her bank, Clydesdale Bank.
“She put both the card and the PIN number in a travel document wallet and put it in a drawer in her bedroom for future use.
“Ms Broadley was contacted by her bank stating there had been some activity on the card and she stated she hadn’t used it.
“Broadley checked her drawer and spotted the card and PIN were missing.
“Enquiries carried out by the bank found that the transactions were used on the PlayStation network and that four transactions were made.”
All four fraudulent transactions were made from the same IP address and console number.
A sign-in ID email was also used in the transactions and this included McAdam's name.
Mr Stark added: “On November 20, 2018 a transaction of £76.95 was processed alongside three others on November 21, for, £140, £19,98 and £55.98, totalling, £292.91.
“Further enquiries found that the IP address was that of the accused’s home address.”
Court heard how McAdam stole a black laptop, power drill, impact drill and stationary from the primary school on March 11, 2019.
The value of goods he pinched totalled £1500, with the police only recovering £400 worth of the items.
Mr Stark explained how heartless McAdam then stole £515 from Ms Broadley on March 13, 2019. He said: “Around 8.30am, Ms Broadley had a knock on her door from the accused, who asked if he could come in.
“He hadn’t been at the property since the incident in October.
“She told him he was going out and that she needed to leave soon.
“Both were in the living room and her handbag was on the table.
“Ms Broadley went to the bathroom and when she returned she noticed her bag had moved and that £15 was missing.
“She asked McAdam of its whereabouts and he denied all knowledge of it.
“Ms Broadley emptied the contents of her bag onto the couch including an envelope with £500 and a mobile phone.”
The court heard that Ms Broadley left her house and returned to her home around 10.30am and checked her belongings on the sofa only to discover the contents of the envelope – the £500 - was missing and that her back door was unlocked.
McAdam was later arrested and gave no reply to caution and charge.
Defence solicitor Ruth Wallace told the court how McAdam was “in a really dark place at the time" and he was "extremely young."
Ms Wallace explained: “He is truly sorry for his actions. He was 16 at the time of the offences.
“At the time he was in a really dark place as his best friend had passed away following an accidental drug overdose and he turned to drinking alcohol and taking Valium.
“There was no planning in the school incident, it was a spur of the moment thing due to his intoxication but he appreciates this is no excuse.
“He is remorseful, he is truly sorry for his actions and he appreciates the effect this has had on those involved and he is extremely embarrassed.”
On sentencing, Sheriff Craig said: “There are a number of things that strike me.
“The first is that you were very young at the time and you had suffered greatly after the accidental overdose of your friend.
“And also, the second is that you have a neighbour who was like a grandmother which means you breached that trust and you breached it really in a dreadful way.”
She ordered McAdam to pay a total of £900 in compensation for the thefts from Ms Broadley.
In addition, McAdam was ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work in the community for the charge relating to him stealing from the school.
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