Burglar snared by CCTV images

Aug 31 2007 By Paul Beard, Birmingham Mail

A BURGLAR who broke into a nursery school and a medical centre while on a suspended prison sentence has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Kirk Scott (31) of Perch Avenue, Chelmsley Wood, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to two charges of burglary and one of handling stolen goods.

He had also pleaded guilty to a theft charge, asked for ten more burglaries and 14 thefts to be taken into consideration and admitted being in breach of a suspended sentence imposed by Solihull Magistrates in March.

Jailing Scott for three years consecutive to six months of the suspended sentence, Judge Marten Coates told him: "This was serious offending."

Kathryn Roughton, prosecuting, said that in April the Twinkle Tots nursery in Shard End Crescent, Shard End, was burgled over the weekend while decorating work was taking place.

The raid was not discovered until the owner went to put something in the safe on the Monday morning - and found that the safe, which contained £1,000 in cash and some medicine for one of the children, was missing.

A CCTV recording from the nursery showed the intruder, and a police officer recognised the burglar as Scott.

Just over a week later, before he had been arrested, Scott went into the Bosworth Medical Centre in Chelmsley Wood through a rear door at around 6pm and stole an employee's handbag containing £300 in cash and other items.

Again Scott had been captured by a CCTV camera, and the same officer recognised him.

When the police arrested Scott and searched his home, they found a mobile phone and a debit card from a woman's handbag which had been stolen in a pub the night before, and which Scott admitted handling.

T hat month Scott had also broken into a Mercedes on the car park of the Manor Hotel in Meriden and stolen a sat-nav system, but his blood was found on the broken glass.

Mrs Roughton added that at the time Scott was subject to a six-month suspended prison sentence imposed by Solihull magistrates in March for offences of burglary and deception.

Tom Schofield, defending, said the offences arose out of Scott's drug addictions and added: "He accepts that he will receive a custodial sentence."