A SAUCHIE man caught skulking in people's gardens during the night has been told to carry out unpaid work.

Anthony Carmichael, 39, appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday, October 18, having pleaded guilty to two charges at a previous date.

The charges state that on August 22 last year, Carmichael was lurking within the boundaries of a property at Whins Road and at Argyll Street, Alloa, without lawful authority to be there and that it might reasonably be inferred he intended to commit theft.

Carmichael's lawyer claimed their client's behaviour was a result of him looking to buy drugs and that it was not his intention to steal anything.

They said: "He was there to try and purchase illicit substances, after a relapse into substance missuses."

Sheriff David Mackie said: "You have to think what was going through the minds of people who saw you.

"Their home is their safe place, and you were invading it."

Carmichael, of Branshill Park, was given a Community Payback Order, and 180 hours of unpaid work to be completed over 12 months.