A PROLIFIC thief with more than a hundred convictions spanning five decades pleaded guilty to breaking in to a Greenock pub — and was immediately allowed back on the streets.

Joseph McAllister, 53, smashed his way into the One Bruce Street premises just days after being released from the sheriff court in relation to another criminal matter.

Thieving McAllister — who committed his first offence in 1986 — was also on a bail order granted in June when he targeted the pub less than an hour after closing time.

The popular venue's owner told the Telegraph that he and his staff had been left 'gutted' about the incident the incident last Sunday.

Greenock Telegraph:

Gary McDowall was alerted to the break-in by a member of the public and was outside the pub while McAllister was still inside ransacking the place in an apparent booze raid.

He said: "I instantly thought it was probably someone looking to see if we were open but when I came down the window had already been smashed and I made the 999 call.

"While I was on the phone, I could hear things getting smashed inside the building.

"I didn't know whether it was one person, whether it was ten people, I didn't know why they were in and what they were doing.

"The police responded so quickly."

READ MORE: Man arrested and charged following break-in at Greenock pub

Gary added: "It was absolutely gutting, especially with everything going on with the cost-of-living crisis being shut for even half a day is a big loss."

McAllister's litany of previous convictions include the theft of an Ardgowan Hospice charity can, stealing £2,000 worth of mobile phones from dance class youngsters, helping himself to a collection box from a church and relieving a disabled man of cash and lottery tickets after offering to help him cross a road.

He sparked a police helicopter alert in 2020 after hiding in the roof space of an Arnold Clark car dealership on Port Glasgow Road during a botched break-in.

McAllister, of South Street, pleaded guilty through lawyer Aidan Gallagher to the One Bruce Street raid.

He committed the offence whilst subject to an anti-social behaviour order from 2005.

Sentence was deferred for the preparation of background reports until September 13 and McAllister was allowed bail.