AN ARREST warrant has been issued for a thief patient who stole from a nurse at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Alan Smith - who also broke into a car and committed a shoplifting offence - failed to turn up at Greenock Sheriff Court to face punishment for crimes dating back nearly four years.

Smith's litany of offending includes taking a staff nurse's phone and bank card and attempting to flee whilst wearing just a medical gown and underwear.

He also stole razor blades and alcohol from local stores, and entered an insecure vehicle to help himself to a quantity of CDs.

Smith, 48, was previously remanded in custody but had been released before the latest calling of his cases at the court.

He stole a mobile phone wallet, a number of bank and other cards and a driving licence from a ward at the IRH in September 2020 - all while he was on bail regarding other criminal matters.

He then breached a bail condition - requiring him to sign in at Greenock police office - on four separate occasions in December 2020.

The crook had a not guilty plea accepted by prosecutors to a charge of stealing a quantity of alcohol from Greenock's Iceland supermarket in December 2021 but he was convicted of taking booze from the town's B&M store in January 2022.

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In October last year, he stole the mobile phone and bank card from Inverclyde Royal and also made off with a handbag from Orchard View.

The following month, Smith stole razor blades worth almost £36 from The Range and on February 11 this year, at a property on Drummond Street, he entered an insecure Kia Sportage vehicle and stole the CDs.

A previous court hearing was told that a charge nurse on shift on October 24, 2023 was alerted to Smith trying to 'abscond from the accident and emergency department'.

A procurator fiscal depute told the hearing: "She ran after him and observed him wearing a hospital gown, boxers and holding a pink phone which belonged to the staff nurse.

"A bank debit card was also missing."

Police attended Smith's address and found a pink phone case and the thief was returned to the ward later that day.

His lawyer said he was 'very quickly caught, in strange circumstances, after leaving the hospital'.

Defence solicitor Paul Cook told the latest hearing that he had no explanation for his client's absence and Sheriff James Varney granted a warrant to apprehend.