Garry O'Connor pleads guilty to shoplifting in Edinburgh store

Harvey Nichols in St Andrews Square, Edinburgh

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Garry O’Connor, has been fined £200 and ordered to pay £700 compensation to Harvey Nichols after admitting stealing clothing from the company’s premises in Edinburgh.

Garry O'Connor in action for Hibs. Picture; Pamela Grigg

Thirty-three year old O’Connor of North Berwick pled guilty at Edinburgh Justice of the Peace Court today to stealing a quantity of clothing from the store in St Andrew’s Square on November 25 last year.

His defence solicitor, Colm Dempsey, told JP Hilary Cochran that his client was currently unemployed and was supported by his wife. O’Connor, he added had three children aged 12, nine and five. Mr Dempsey said the theft had been “unsophisticated” and O’Connor “bitterly regretted the incident”.

His client, he added, had no outstanding cases and, although there were previous convictions, there were none for dishonesty. O’Connor, he said, had pled guilty at the earliest opportunity and offered to pay any fine at £100 a month.

Justice Cochran told O’Connor she would deal with the matter by way of a fine. It would be £200 reduced from £300 because of the early plea and she also ordered him to pay Harvey Nichols £700 compensation for a stolen jacket which had not been recovered. The money to be paid at £100 a month commencing on March 14.

O’Connor scored 46 goals while at Hibernian, played 16 times for Scotland, was transferred to Lokomotiv Moscow for £1.6 million in 2006 and to Birmingham City for £2.7 million the following year. Most recently he was player/manager at Lowland League side, Selkirk