Jailed: Thief in nine-hour rooftop stand-off
ATHIEF who staged a nine-hour roof standoff with police has been jailed. Prolific criminal Mark Cor- bett was wanted by officers after three separate raids on a Lancashire County Council highways depot in Bacup, a court heard.
He had caused £3,000 worth of damage to fencing and roller shutters and had siphoned off more than £700 in fuel from vehicles.
When officers attended Corbett’s home on Springfield Avenue in Bacup at around 3am to make the arrest, he refused to let them in then climbed through a window onto the roof and would not come down. Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said the ‘whole area’ was cordoned off and a police negotiator was called to the scene. The court heard Corbett, 31, cracked tiles while walking across the top of several houses, causing nearly £1,700 in damage, and that he also began to self-harm.
AWANTED thief who staged a ninehour roof stand-off against police has been jailed.
Prolific criminal Mark Corbett was wanted by officers after three separate raids on a Lancashire County Council highways depot in Bacup where he had caused £3,000 worth of damage to fencing and roller shutters and had siphoned off over £700 in fuel from vehicles, a court heard.
The incidents happened between February 10 and March 10 this year and Corbett was identified through DNA left on hose piping left at the scene.
Officers attended Corbett’s home on Springfield Avenue in Bacup on March 16 this year at around 3am to make the arrest, however he refused to let them in, the hearing was told.
Burnley Crown Court heard the father-of-five then climbed through a window onto the roof and refused to come down.
Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said the ‘ whole area’ was cordoned off and a police negotiator was called to the scene.
The court heard how Corbett, 31, damaged tiles while walking across the top of several houses - causing nearly £1,700 in damage - and that he also began to self-harm.
Miss Kehoe said: “He stayed on the roof for nine hours before the police decide that they can’t carry out the deployment any longer and they in fact leave the scene.
“One of the reasons they decided to move away from the scene and stop the deployment of so many resources was because they were concerned what he would do to himself if they carried on. He was picking up and moving the roof tiles around. Both police officers and members of the public on the ground were concerned for their own safety.”
The court heard that Corbett did not throw any of the tiles or cause any injury and was eventually arrested eight days later.
Corbett, who has 51 convictions for more than 100 offences, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal damage, three counts of theft and one count of affray and was jailed for 14 months.
Marianne Alton, defending, said Corbett had a ‘long and inglorious record of offending’ and that these were ‘unattractive offences’.
She told the court: “He found himself in something of a difficult emotional state. His relationship with his long-term partner had deteriorated and he turned to taking heroin. He didn’t think he would become addicted, but he was wrong.
“He very quickly found himself dependent on the drug and developed a substantial addiction taking up to £40 a day.
“He built up a debt. In the throws of that addiction he forgot his undoubted responsibilities. He has let his family badly down and he knows that he has no-one else to blame but himself.
“He says the four months leading up to these offences were the worst in his life. He now accepts that enough is enough and he wants to change.”
Sentencing, Recorder Katherine Pierpoint said: “I’m sure this is behaviour that you are now ashamed about, especially considering your own family were present.
“Police and neighbours were worried about what you might do to them and the fact that you were up there in that distressed and abusive state.
“It meant a great deal of inconvenience to the police. The area was cordoned off for a period of time. I’m sure they had better things to do with their time than to deal with you.”
‘I’m sure they had better things to do with their time’