A former night porter who stole more than £7000 worth of alcohol from a prestigious Edinburgh Hotel before quitting his job there has been jailed for 218 days.

Alan Weir used his security pass to get into the cellar at Prestonfield House and took 15 bottles of wine and spirits. He handed in his notice later the same night, but was later caught on CCTV.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, Sheriff John Horsburgh QC told Weir: "The value of the goods you stole was very significant here and your record shows you have several previous convictions for crimes of dishonesty.

"The only appropriate disposal is one which involves custody."

He said the sentence would have been eight months if Weir had not pled guilty.

At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Aidan Higgins said the theft came to light three days after Weir’s theft, and he was easily identified when CCTV footage was checked. Police then went to Weir’s home, where the alcohol had been stashed in a cupboard.

Weir, from Edinburgh’s Gilmerton Dykes Avenue, admitted forcing open a lockfast wine cellar and stealing a quantity of alcohol on January 3.

The court heard Weir committed the offence after going through a bad time due to an injury to his eye, as well as relationship difficulties.

His defence agent Angus McLennan said: "This matter now is a fairly isolated incident having avoided offending behaviour for some time and it has cost his employment.

"It seems to be a reaction to discovering his partner's infidelity."

Mr McLennan said Weir was back in employment and offered to pay a financial penalty or carry out community service. However, Sheriff Horsburgh said custody was the only option.