Prison term for man who admitted theft

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 28 (UPI) -- A Scottish man who confessed to an armed robbery when he was hospitalized after a suicide attempt has been sentenced to two years in prison.

A judge in Edinburgh said he was giving David Kennedy a break because he would normally be sentenced to as much as five years, the Edinburgh Herald reported.

"I have considered this case very carefully but because of its serious nature I have come to the view I can do nothing other than impose a prison sentence. I accept it is a particularly tragic case," the judge said.

Kennedy, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, said that he held up a village shop because he needed money to pay drug debts. He told the judge that his family was being threatened.

Two months after the robbery, Kennedy took an overdose of his medication. While he was in a psychiatric hospital, he admitted the crime and repeated his confession for police after he was released.