Get the Glasgow stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A 17-year-old Slovakian has admitted a year-long crime wave across the southside of Glasgow – which included house-breakings, street robberies and stealing a Help for Heroes charity tin.

The haul netted the female over £8000 worth of goods and cash. She targeted Govanhill and Cessnock during the spree.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to 17 charges when she appeared from custody at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday morning.

They included eight housebreakings, four thefts, three robberies and two bail breaches.

Procurator Fiscal Depute John Bedford told court the girl was from Slovakia and it was unknown when she entered the UK.

PF Depute Bedford said on February 17 2016, the accused broke into the home of Kathleen Jeffery in Govanhill. Auctioneer Jeffery had left home at noon but a neighbour noticed her door had been broken just a short time later and called police who arrived at 12.40 pm.

Jeffery returned at 13.30 and saw that ‘people had been in every room’ of her flat. A Nintendo games console and jewellery had been taken. The value was estimated to be £500.

Forensic experts traced the accused from fingerprints found at the scene.

On April 1 2016, the girl robbed a 15-year-old schoolboy of his Samsung mobile with the help of two others. The boy was walking on Allison Street when the accused approached him and said, ‘give me the phone or I’ll kill you’ while he was held by the others.

When police attended the victim’s house they were unable to take a proper statement due to language difficulties. However, while they were en route to Cathcart police station to seek an interpreter for the boy, he pointed the accused and two others out at the scene of the crime.

The officers arrested her and she said: “I don’t know why you called the police anyway you will never get the phone back,” but insisted she ‘didn’t do anything’ to the officers. The phone was valued at £150 and was never recovered.

On June 14, 2016 Samson Emanuel, a 52-year-old taxi driver was walking along Allison Street just before midnight having left a nearby pub with his partner. PF Depute Bedford said that the accused approached the couple with two ‘juveniles.’

She said, ‘give it to me’ whilst trying to take his mobile phone from his pocket. Both her and another female child put their hands into his pocket to get his device. When he tried to get away the accused grabbed his right arm and he dropped £1000 cash.

PF Depute Bedford said: “The item fell from the complainer’s pocket so he stood over it to pick it up. She pushed him, grabbed the item and phone and ran off towards West Moreland Street.”

Emanuel and his partner were said to have chased the accused but lost sight of her. The incident was caught on CCTV and the accused was later arrested and charged for the robbery.

(Image: Google Maps)

On June 21, 2016, she broke into James Miller’s flat on Pollokshaws Road. Miller, a judo coach, returned home to find five watches and an iPad missing from his address. The items were valued at £1750 and were never recovered.

On June 24, 2016 police received an anonymous call to report ‘two children’ acting suspiciously at Harvie Street, Cessnock. When they got there, officers noted a boy standing outside who appeared to be acting as a ‘lookout.’

As they waited the accused came out with another boy carrying a ‘large plasma television.’

The officers told them to stop and one of them dropped a rucksack as they ran away. It contained a red HP laptop a gold chain and a mobile phone.

The accused admitted breaking into the flat and stealing the items estimated to cost £1100. All items were recovered.

On July 1, 2016, the accused broke into a flat on West Moreland Street and stole an iPad, iPhone, aftershave and cigarettes.

The accused admitted breaking into flats on Allison Street on August 9, 2016, where she stole three mobile phones and eight bottles of perfume from one flat and electrical equipment from the other.

As police spoke to residents about the double-break in, a neighbour reported that two Slovakian girls had been in the close and identified the accused.

Then, on August 12, 2016, she targeted a flat on Craigie Street stealing a briefcase and coins and, on the same day, broke into a bedsit on Anette Street where she stole a knife and grill pan.

(Image: Google Maps)

CCTV from Superdrug on Victoria Road also caught the accused stealing a nine-year-old’s bike on October 13, 2016. Police on patrol spotted her and asked her where she got it from as she was ‘known to them.’ She replied, ‘it wasn’t me’ before the officers took the bike from her and gave it back to the boy.

On November 18 2016, she stole a charity box destined for a Turkish cause from Babylon Supermarket on Commerce Street, Tradeston.

That day the accused also targeted Café on Paisley Road West. Staff had been suspicious of her coming in and asking ‘strange questions’ over the few weeks previous. On the day in question a staff member was distracted by another customer before the accused left. The staff member noticed the ‘Help for Heroes’ tin was gone. The tin was full when it was stolen.

On April 20 this year, she stole a mobile phone from a taxi driver who was parked in Bankhall Street. The accused asked the man for £1 and when he refused she reached into his car and grabbed his phone before running off onto Cathcart Road.

The very next day the female stole another Samsung from Dezider Demeter at Dixon Avenue.

Demeter was listening to a Bluetooth speaker when the accused asked him for the time. When he produced his phone from his pocket she grabbed it and ran off.

On April 22, 2017, she entered World Tech mobile phone store on Cathcart Road and asked to see a white Samsung Galaxy from the shop window. When the shop assistant put it close enough to her, she grabbed it from his hand and ran out of the shop.

Defence lawyer Phil McWilliams only objected to the £1000 cash allegedly stolen from Samson Emanuel. He said it would be ‘unusual’ for someone to come out of a pub in Govanhill with that sum of money at closing time.

Sheriff Alan MacKenzie deferred sentence for a criminal justice social work report, specifically to address ‘issues of public protection’ upon the accused’s release from custody.