Boiler thieving junkie robs old man

Sep 3 2010 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

SCUMBAG Darren Higgins attacked and robbed a frail 83-year-old man in his own home.

The cruel junkie pinned the old man onto a couch and rifled his pockets in a desperate bid to get cash for a quick fix.

The sickening robbery happened within days of Higgins ripping out and flogging his own mum’s central heating system.

Higgins has now been remanded in custody pending sentence.

The 32-year-old plead guilty to his latest appalling crime when he appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court this week.

The court was told that the elderly gentleman, who lives alone, had been expecting his carer to call so left the back door unlocked.

He suffers from poor health and is not good on his feet.

Higgins knows the old man because he used to do gardening work for him.

But they fell out because the man believed Higgins was responsible for a previous theft in his house.

On the day of the attack, December 14, Higgins calmly walked into the house.

He was asked to leave but Higgins tried to engage the man in conversation before shoving him onto the couch, holding him down and rifling his pockets.

Higgins got hold of the man’s wallet and took out £170 before chucking the wallet on the kitchen floor on his way out.

It’s not the first time Higgins has committed such a vile crime.

In February last year, he befriended an 87-year-old lady then stole her jewellery.

Higgins pawned the four rings and bracelet for £150 – but he found out in court they were worth more than £7000.

He was jailed for eight months for the theft.

Shortly after being released from Bowhouse, Higgins was back to his old ways.

While his mum was on holiday in December last year, he ripped out her heating system and flogged it.

The heartbroken woman returned to her freezing cold Westwood Avenue home to find holes all over the house where Higgins had ripped out copper piping.

She has since been forced to pack up and move out of the house because the damage was so bad.

Higgins’ record is littered with convictions for drugs, breaches of the peace, road traffic offences, shoplifting and theft.

Defence lawyer Peter Lockhart explained to the court this week that Higgins had failed to show up for a meeting with him and also ignored an appointment with social workers.

Mr Lockhart added: “I think it’s a case of him burying his head in the sand.”

Higgins, who has been living in homeless accomodation in Ayr, was remanded in custody.

He will be sentenced next month.