Serial Dundee thief jailed again for more restaurant raids

A serial Dundee thief has been jailed again after admitting breaking into three more city businesses.

Drug addict Ryan Simpson broke into Sunny’s Restaurant and The Camperdown Elm in Dundee and raided MS News in Broughty Ferry.

HMP Perth inmate Simpson was brought to Dundee Sheriff Court where he pled guilty to all three break-ins.

He was previously jailed in 2022 for break-ins and attempts along Perth Road.

Crime spree

In his latest set of crimes, the 27-year-old first struck at Sunny’s Restaurant on Dalgleish Place in the early hours of January 14 this year.

After being caught on the Ring doorbell, he stole a cash register and money.

Two days later, he broke into The Camperdown Elm restaurant, off Kingsway, and made off with two tills and two bottles of gin.

He woke an employee staying in the flat upstairs, who phoned police.

Officers traced Simpson’s movements using sniffer dogs but did not catch him until later.

Simpson’s third raid was at MS News in Broughty Ferry’s Campfield Square on March 19.

Again in the dead of night, he forced his way inside and stole two till drawers, dropping one outside.

Owner Samar Hayat told The Courier at the time – eight months after a similar raid: “It is soul-destroying that this has happened again.”

‘He wasn’t stable’

The court heard Simpson had only been liberated days before his first strike and was subject to bail, a supervised release order and unexpired portions during his offending.

He was locked up in August 2023 for assaulting an Asda worker while trying to shoplift.

Solicitor Anika Jethwa said: “Mr Simpson’s record does him no credit at all.

“He tells me that after his release from his last sentence, he wasn’t stable.”

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael noted Simpson’s spell on remand and ordered him to serve 150 days of unexpired imprisonment.

The sheriff imposed 14 months for the break-ins following that.

In 2019, Simpson wept in the dock after admitting stealing make-up from Boots.

For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.