Published date: 09 December 2016 |
Published by: Staff reporterRead more articles by Staff reporterEmail reporter
A teenage burglar, said to get “kicks” from breaking into people’s homes and driving their vehicles at high speed, has been given a custodial sentence.
Matthew David Adamson, of Crescent Road, Wrexham, boasted he was the leader of a gang after he was arrested when the home of a couple was ransacked while they were on holiday.
Mold Crown Court was told that a member of the family suffered from cancer and sadly they returned from holiday to find their home was damaged.
There was glass over the floor and their car, a Mini Cooper, had been taken off the drive.
Items of great sentimental value, including engagement and eternity rings which the couple had hoped to pass down the family to their children, were taken.
Adamson, 17 at the time but now 18, admitted burglary at a house in Epsom Way, Wrexham, and received a 21-month sentence of youth custody.
It was his fourth conviction for burglary and he was warned if he had been an adult he would have faced a minimum three-year sentence.
A three-year criminal behaviour order was made, under which he is not to associate with another named youth and he is not to enter the gardens or private property boundary of any houses unless he has permission.
Judge Niclas Parry told Adamson: “I am afraid you get kicks out of breaking into houses, stealing cars and driving them at high speed.
“Society must therefore be protected from you.”
The defendant was only 18, but it was the fourth time he had broken into someone’s property. He had been dealt with remarkably leniently to date and had received three community orders.
In fact he was on a community order for burglary “when you did the same thing again”.
Judge Parry said it was a serious burglary where property of high value was taken.
He and others were acting as a group and Adamson had boasted that about being “the gang leader.”
The property had been ransacked and the judge said he could not ignore the impact on the burglary victims.
Judge Parry said he accepted the defendant would not have known about the fact they were already distressed for different reasons, but that was what happened when he entered other people’s homes.
Kim Halsall, prosecuting, said the victims had made a sad victim impact statement revealing a family member was going through a cancer procedure and they had returned home from holiday to find their property trashed.
Items of great sentimental value had been taken.
She told how the burglary occurred on September 24 when the victim and his family were on a caravan holiday in Barmouth.
A neighbour alerted police when she saw a light in the house, saw a youth with a hoodie leave the house and then enter the car on the drive.
There were two others in the vehicle.
The car was driven away at speed and later police stopped the car and three people got out.
One was arrested at the scene and the defendant was arrested later when his fingerprint was found at the burgled house.
The victims returned home to find that property valued at more than £3,000 had been taken including engagement and eternity rings, a watch, a camera, an iPhone and £120 in cash and a bank card.
“Some of the jewellery items were of great sentimental value which it was hoped could be handed down to their children,” Miss Halsall explained.
Henry Hills, defending, said his client was only 17 at the time, was now just 18 and his best mitigation was he had admitted the burglary at the lower court.
“His offending behaviour has become out of control,” he said.
Adamson was immature and had emotional and behavioural problems, said Mr Hills.
“But he is inflicting that upon the community. He understands that.”
He asked the judge to take into account his age and his guilty plea and the fact that it would be his first period of custody.
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/170018/wrexham-teenage-gang-leader-got-kicks-from-breaking-into-people-s-homes.aspx
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