A TILLICOULTRY man entered the home of his next-door neighbour through the loft and stole his PlayStation console.

Liam Ferguson later gave the excuse that the man owed him money.

Ferguson, 30, of Arthur Bett Court, appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday, December 23, for sentencing.

He admitted that on June 9, 2018, he broke into a home in his street and stole a games console.

The court was told that Ferguson's neighbour had found that his PlayStation was missing yet there were no signs of a break-in.

Later when he looked in his loft, he saw there was a gap in the partition between the houses which would allow someone from next door to get in.

Sheriff Neil Bowie told Ferguson: "This was incredibly dishonest behaviour towards your neighbour.

"It's also quite staggering that you say you did it because you were owed money, which I don't believe was true."

The sheriff imposed a community payback order with 120 hours of unpaid work and nine months of supervision.

He also ordered Ferguson to pay £400 in compensation.