Court: Woman, 67, chases down drug addict who stole her phone.

Woman says drug addict broke cover after she shouted ‘where are you?’

A Fife bowling club member chased and confronted a drug addict who had stolen her mobile phone.

The 67-year-old from Dunfermline Bowling Club said the hapless thief broke cover after she shouted “where are you?”.

Addict Barry Rankine, 28, will be sentenced next month for the theft and has been subjected to a home curfew between the hours of 9.30pm and 7am.

Rankine, of Wedderburn Street in Dunfermline, admitted stealing the phone on June 25 at Priory Lane.

The bowling club committee member, who asked not to be named, said her phone was recovered but her purse, which was also taken that evening, is still missing.

She and her husband had gone to the club at around 9pm.

Her purse and phone went missing after three men, including Rankine, appeared.

Describing how she chased down the thief, she said: “I chased him into the Garden for Heroes.

“The other two were standing at the gate to the Garden for Heroes and I shouted ‘where is he?’

“I then shouted ‘where are you?’ and the silly little devil broke cover.”

Rankine tried to run off but was stopped by the woman’s husband, who had driven to the scene in his car, and the phone was recovered.

“Police have said to us that we really shouldn’t have done that because so many are wandering about with knives or screwdrivers but I just didn’t think at the time,” she said.

“In the melee the thief lost his shoe and a can of cider, so the police had his shoe.”

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf told Dunfermline Sheriff Court: “They parked the car and she went to do some jobs she had to do. “She had left her phone at the door. “While she was inside, she heard a shout that somebody had gone into the club.”

Defence solicitor Gwen Haggerty said: “There’s been a drug difficulty behind the offending for a long time and it has been getting worse.

“He’s been put out and has been effectively living on the streets.

“He is going back to live at his mother’s.

“He has been on a methadone prescription for a number of years.”

Police have said to us that we really shouldn’t have done that