Repeat Cumbernauld offender found lying next to an overturned car he had stolen, walks free from Airdrie Sheriff Court

Airdrie Sheriff Court heard how Declan Lyons was found lying beside the car which was on its roof on a grass verge at the roadside.

Appearing at court last week, it was far from a special occasion for Lyons who found himself in the dock on his 25th birthday.

There, he admitted stealing car keys from a house in Birch Road, Cumbernauld, in the early hours of March 31 this year, as well as stealing the vehicle.

Court heard how Lyons – who is well-known to the courts – did not get very far.

That’s after a witness heard a loud bang in the town's Forest Road shortly before 5am and saw the overturned car, reporting it to the police.

Lyons also admitted sneaking into a house in Pine Crescent, Cumbernauld, and stealing a purse and bank cards.

Police recovered the stolen items when they attended the crash scene.

He pleaded guilty to a further charge of breaching a bail curfew.

Lyons, of Roseburn Court, Cumbernauld, admitted previous convictions but his agent claimed he had been doing "so well" until a relapse into offending recently.

The solicitor said: "Things spiralled out of control. There are addiction issues.

"He was under the influence of drugs when he committed these crimes.

"He has no recollection but accepts his culpability. There is undoubtedly a link between his substance misuse and offending, but he is now drug-free."

Sheriff Joseph Hughes put Lyons under supervision for two years and ordered him to do 210 hours of unpaid community work within 18 months.

He will be electronically tagged for six months, meaning he's not allowed out between 7pm and 7am.

The sheriff warned him: "This is a direct alternative to prison. If you come back to court for further offending it's a one-way ticket - straight to jail."

Lyons was also fined £230 and given six penalty points when he admitted driving the stolen car without insurance.