A TOBACCO thief broke into a Cumnock shop and ran off with a haul of cigarettes.

Ian Pollock pleaded guilty to illegally entering the premises occupied by Ali's U-Save on the town's Hearth Place, before stealing a quantity of cigarettes and tobacco products on June 15 last year.

The 47-year-old also admitted to being found out with his 7pm-7am curfew hours while out on bail.

Procurator fiscal depute Alasdair Millar told Ayr Sheriff Court: "At approximately quarter past midnight the witness received a phone call from a friend that his newsagents had been broken into.

"He arrived to hear the sound of the alarm and he saw the accused make off with a black holdall.

"He followed the accused, who entered a garden, and saw that the holdall was full of cigarettes which he suspected had been taken from his shop.

"He took the black holdall and returned to the locus. The shutter was damaged and front window smashed.

"Police attended and noted the damaged shutter. The witness confirmed the tobacco had been taken from him."

Mr Millar said he had no exact value for the cigarettes.

Defence solicitor Robert Logan said his client was currently on a drug treatment testing order imposed at the same court.

Sentence was deferred for criminal justice social work reports and bail was continued for Pollock, of Kier Hardie Hill, Cumnock. 

Sheriff Mhairi MacTaggart said: "I'm not giving any promises, with your record you could be facing a custodial sentence."

He will return to court at a later date.