Bare-bottomed thief found in vent

A would-be thief who was discovered naked from the waist down hanging from a pub air vent has been jailed for 19 months. Nineteen-year-old Mark Scobbie had been trying to break into the Behind The Wall bar in Falkirk when he was spotted by a member of kitchen staff.

He had become stuck in the narrow vent while trying get into the building and had tried to undress to free himself. Scobbie was eventually cut free by firefighters.

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that 400 people were in the bar when Scobbie had attempted his break-in in the early hours of Sunday 28 June. After slipping in through an air duct on the building's roof, he became stuck in the confined space 10ft above the floor of the pub's kitchen.



He removed his clothes and tried to wriggle free - but barman Lewis Stewart spotted his naked legs and buttocks through gaps in the vents where grilles had been removed in preparation for cleaning. When discovered, his trousers were round his ankles. A hooded top he had also been wearing was later found on the building's roof.

Ambulance staff, police and the fire service rushed to the premises to cut Scobbie free. His face had been squeezed up against a hatch, and he was covered from head to toe in black grease. After he was pulled out of the vent Scobbie complained of numbness in his limbs and was taken to hospital for examination. He was later arrested by police.

The pub's owner, Brian Flynn, said they had to spend £1,000 repairing the damage caused by Scobbie's misadventure. He added: "It has certainly been a talking point among the punters here."