Collection box thief locked up

Apr 21 2006 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

A CITY man has been jailed for a year for a string of thefts including the stealing of two Poppy Day charity box full of cash, one of them from a church.

Birmingham Magistrates Court heard how Michael Murphy, 25, of Woodcock Lane, Northfield, grabbed a collection box containing £20 in coins from a Spar store on November 4 last year, just days before Remembrance Day on November 11.

Murphy then snatched another poppy container with more than £7 in cash from St Nicholas Church, at The Green, in Kings Norton, two days later on November 6.

Murphy was jailed for three months for the poppy box thefts but given a further nine months after being convicted of a spate of other crimes.

But John Evans, secretary of Birmingham County British Legion, said three months for stealing from collection boxes was not enough.

"This was not just petty thieving," said Mr Evans. "Anyone who steals from a charity should be prepared to answer for it. My own personal view is that his man should have been given a longer sentence than just three months."

Along with the three month sentence for the charity box thefts, Murphy was sentenced for three other thefts of stealing 12 bottles of beer from a BP service station, six boxes of chocolates and £550 worth of goods from Jennifer Mulcahy.

He was also convicted of possessing heroin, driving a car while disqualified and failing to surrender to custody.

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