Serial crook who stole piggy banks from a Motherwell school is back behind bars after being jailed at Hamilton Sheriff Court

Serial fraudster Jordan Nisbet also tricked elderly women into handing over money for house repairs he had no intention of doing.

The dad of three was branded "callous and deceitful" by a sheriff who jailed him for 40 months.

Nisbet, 27, admitted a two-week crime spree in November.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard CCTV showed him grabbing a charity tin containing £80 while waiting to be served at Baz's Store in Kirkhill Place, Wishaw.

Five days later Nisbet broke into St Brendan's Primary School in Motherwell.

Aga Mathieson, prosecuting, told the court: "Three piggy banks used for fundraising were stolen. Each could have contained up to £50.

"The empty banks were recovered near the school. The accused's DNA was on them."

Nisbet also got a total of £70 from three householders in Armour Grove and Heron View, both Motherwell, and Coronation Road, New Stevenston, by offering to clean their gutters. He didn't return to do the work.

Two of the victims were elderly women, aged 80 and 78. He told the 80-year-old that he had cleaned gutters for her neighbours and she was the only one in the street who hadn't had the work done.

Nisbet, of Wishaw, has 35 previous convictions for similar frauds and defence solicitor Stephen MacBride said: "He and his family were having financial difficulties.

"He was struggling to keep his head above water and, unfortunately, resorted to type."

Jailing Nisbet, Sheriff John Hamilton said: "The amount of money is not particularly great, but these were unpleasant, nasty offences. Almost all of the victims were clearly vulnerable."

The sheriff said he would have imposed a five-year prison sentence had Nisbet not pleaded guilty at an early stage.