A MAN sobbed in the dock as he was sent to jail for a spate of crimes across Glasgow's Southside.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Florin Turtulea had broken into properties, stolen bikes, stolen money, attacked a police officer and assaulted a man who caught him in the act of stealing.

The 25-year-old carried out his crimes around Govanhill in May and June of this year and was also sentenced for incidents in 2016.

Depute fiscal Ruth Cockburn first told the court of a bike theft on May 25 this year.

Around 8.30am a woman a notification on her mobile phone from her CCTV that showed movement outside her flat in the common close basement of a flat on Queens Drive.

When she looked at her CCTV she saw Turtulea in the close tampering with the witness's two bikes, which were secured by a chain.

She then watched as he used a pair of bolt cutters to cut the chain before going up the stairs towards the front entrance with her property.

The victim checked the common close door and saw entry had been gained by forcing the door open, causing £200 of damage.

She contacted the police and two officers in Gorbals police station viewed the CCTV footage and were able to identify Turtulea.

Ms Cockburn then told the court how, at around 5pm on May 29, 2021, a second victim left his home, ensuring the property was locked and secured.

When the man returned at about 9.30pm he discovered damage to the door frame of the property and he saw that his property was no longer secure.

He went inside and saw that his bedroom had been ransacked and a Santander bank card and letter with the PIN for the card were missing.

The witness immediately checked his online banking app and noted there were two withdrawals from his bank account: one at Tesco Express on Victoria Road and the second at Fone Valley on Allison Street.

On June 1, 2021, two officers went to the Tesco Express to look at CCTV footage and this showed the accused approaching the cash machine at about 5.45pm and him withdrawing money and using a PIN to do so.

Still images of the footage were obtained and issued on police systems.

Two officers saw the image and identified the person as Turtulea.

The depute fiscal then told how, around 5.15pm on June 15, another witness saw Turtulea in his garden.

The man watched as Turtulea entered the rear garden by climbing over a fence before using a pair of combination pliers to cut a bike chain and take the man's bike.

Turtulea then threw the bike over the fence before climbing over himself and attempting to cycle away.

The victim managed to stop him and called the police.

When cops arrived they saw the accused holding a bike and when Turtulea saw the police car approaching he tried to push the witness in order to get away and attempted to punch him.

Turtulea fled the scene with cops in pursuit but officers eventually managed to catch him on Victoria Road.

As police officers attempted to arrest him he began punching and kicking, striking one of the officers on the arm.

He was told he was under arrest and taken to Cathcart police office but was shouting and swearing during the arrest.

Further charges were read out to the court, including Turtulea being caught on July 23, 2016, at around 7.30pm entering a common close with the intent to commit theft.

A young witness spotted Turtulea walk along Forth Street in Polloksheilds and enter a close.

The boy and two friends apprehended him and called police who took him to Cathcart station where he was cautioned and charged.

Turtulea's defence brief told the court his client had a drug addiction.

He added: "At the end of that Odyssey it effectively comes down to your Ladyship's discretion on how to deal with him going forward.

"There is very little that can be said that is not in the [criminal justice social work] report."

Turtulea, who was helped through proceedings with the aid of a Romanian language translator, wept as his crimes were read out and held his head in his hands during sentencing.

Sheriff Diana McConnell said: "I have listened to what Mr Sutherland has said on your behalf and I have considered all the information in the criminal justice social work report.

"I have considered whether there is a viable and appropriate alternative to a custodial sentence in your case but I reach the conclusion that there is not, and that is because of the nature and number of the charges."

The sheriff also acknowledged that Turtulea had already been made subject to two community payback orders previously and had breached both of those.

He was handed eight months for one set of charges and 180 days for others, to run consecutively.

Turtulea was admonished for the incidents in 2016 and both community payback orders were revoked and no further orders made.