A THIEF who broke into a frail 83 year-old man’s home and brandished garden shears at him then made off with whisky and cash, has been jailed for almost three years.

Paul Tait woke the victim up in the early morning raid and claimed him he was desperate for money.

Tait ransacked the pensioner’s home, and took £500 from a jacket that was hanging in a wardrobe as well as bottles of whisky and a bank card.

He disconnected the elderly man’s phone to stop him from phoning the police during the robbery.

But, the 43-year-old left the garden shears behind and DNA on them and the stolen bank card that was later found, lead officers to him.

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Tait, from Priesthill, appeared from custody at the city’s sheriff court where he pled guilty to breaking into the house in Kings Park on February 20 and assaulting the pensioner.

He also admitted a breach of bail on February 23.

Sheriff Martin Jones QC jailed him for 32 months.

He said: “You will understand that a lengthy custodial sentence is necessary and appropriate in your case having regard to the serious nature of this offence and the fact it involved an 83-year-old vulnerable complainer.”

The court heard the victim is hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid.

On the morning of the incident he was asleep in bed with his hearing aid turned off and around 5am was woken by Tait at the doorway of his bedroom.

Procurator fiscal depute Ruth Ross-Davie said: “Paul Tait had a set of garden shears held up in his hands and [the victim] said to him ‘What are you doing? what do you want?’.

“Tait began to rifle through [the victim's] cupboard and wardrobes. He picked up a bank card from [the victim's] bedside table and [the victim] continued to talk to Tait.”

Tait claimed he was “desperate” for cash then went downstairs and was followed by the brave OAP.

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Miss Ross-Davie continued: “Tait then began to apologise for the mess that he had made in [the victim's] living room as he had been rifling through the property to find items.

“Tait then took [the victim's] landline telephone and explained that he was taking it away so [the victim] couldn’t call the police.”

Tait pocketed several bottles of Malt whisky and apologised throughout the incident, then fled.

The OAP, a former security worker and social worker later was described as having “great calmness and courage”.

He later told the prosecutor that HE continued to speak to Tait to keep him calm to "stay in control of the situation" and was further described as “an admiral gentleman”.

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The court heard he “didn’t want to disturb his neighbours” and waited until the morning before he asked one of them to contact the police.

The shears were left behind and DNA evidence from them matched that of Tait, as well as the stolen bank card that was used but retained by the machine.

This lead officers to Tait who was at an acquaintance’s house on March 10.

Defence lawyer John McLaughlin said Tait is “mortified and deeply ashamed by his conduct”.