Serial burglar jailed for four years
A serial burglar covered a woman’s home in washing-up liquid after sneaking into her bedroom and stealing her handbag as she slept.
Stephen Norton was on bail for an attack on Shields Road, in Byker, Newcastle, where a man was stabbed, when he broke into two flats in Heaton, also in Newcastle, in one night.
During the first burglary, the 46-year-old stole the sleeping victim’s handbag from her bedroom before ransacking her home and covering her kitchen in washing-up liquid.
The woman only knew she had been burgled, when she was woken in the morning by the bank calling to report that someone had been using her card, a court heard.
Immediately following that break-in, in the early hours of February 6, Norton targeted the home of another woman, sneaking in by an unlocked door.
But, this time, his victim woke up and confronted him in her living room, prompting the thief to grab her laptop and house keys and flee, prosecutors said.
The police were called and officers attended Norton’s address in Raby Street, Byker, where they found belongings stolen from the two burglaries, plus other items taken from two other break-ins.
Now, the serial thief, who has 84 Stephen Norton offences on his record, has been jailed for four years and four months after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary and one of handling stolen goods at Newcastle Crown Court.
He also admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing a knife after an attack in Shields Road.
The court heard Norton had got into a fight with another man in the street in March, 2016, and had stabbed him with a flick knife before fleeing the scene.
The victim, who refused to give a statement to the police, suffered minor injuries.
He was arrested and going through court proceedings for the assault and possession of the knife when he committed the two burglaries in February this year.
Speaking of the first break in, on Second Avenue, in Heaton, Judge Tim Gittins said: “She [the victim] didn’t know she had been burgled until she was woken up the following morning by the bank calling to say you had taken her bank card.
“She discovered you had been in the very room she had been sleeping in and, more over, you had gone on frankly to ransack, unnecessarily, rooms in her house, including her kitchen where food stuff and washing-up liquid were poured on the floor.”
During the second burglary, on Heaton Park Road, Norton was confronted by the householder in her living room.
Ms Dowling said: “She saw the defendant and he immediately made off carrying with him a laptop, camera and jewellery. He also took the house keys from the rear door.”
Rachel Landin, defending, said Norton had been making progress with his addictions in prison.
She said: “He was seeking money to buy alcohol. He’s taken steps to address the trigger of his offending behaviour while in prison.”
Ms Landin also said the violence offence was out of character and was the result of ongoing issues between Norton and the victim. BACK in the day, when coal was king, it was proudly known as the world’s largest coal-mining village.
It had a working pit and was at the centre of an industry that was thriving, providing work for thousands of people.
However, by the end of the 1980s, things started to change after Ashington’s coal mines shut down.
The closures blighted the local economy, battering its identity and sense of community.
Nearly three decades later and after £200m of investment, the town has been given a new lease of life. The regeneration projects include:
a £1.5m scheme to improve Station Road – the town’s high street – which is open to traffic and has 30 car parking spaces
Northumberland County Council’s new headquarters will be built on Portland Park and will see 700 staff relocate to the town
a building improvement scheme has been given the go-ahead, meaning £250,000 is available for landlords or tenants to improve their properties on Station Road
Marston Breweries has opened their second pub, the Old Ash Dene on Wansbeck Business Park, creating more than 40 jobs
developers have submitted plans to build more than 800 homes
work is underway on Northumberland College’s new £2.5m STEM centre at the Ashington campus
the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne railway line could reopen to passenger trains by 2021 with construction work starting in 2018, amnd
Ashington Community Football Club celebrated the opening of its new 250-seat grandstand and club house
Former Newcastle United chairman Sir John Hall, who was born in North Seaton, said: “Ashington came through a difficult period when it lost the pits in the 1980s and jobs were lost.
“It saw the retail decline to a degree and without a doubt faced some dark times.”
Determined to see his town thrive again, Sir John became chairman of the Ashington Town Team, which was set up as part of the Government-commissioned Mary Portas review of high streets.
The team includes the town council, shopkeepers, landlords and residents, and has played a key role in developing proposals to revitalise the town.
Sir John said: “It has been a long battle but that battle is being won. We’ve come through the first stage of regeneration and lots of projects are taking off.
“Retail is seeing footfall increase because we have the cars on Station Road and from talking to people it has made a tremendous difference.
“The town is changing. The pits will always be a part of our history but we’ve got to look forward and people in this town are excited.”
Ashington Town Team’s co-ordinator, Michelle Brannigan, said they have had a lot of influence in shaping the future of the town.
She said: “We’ve worked closely together to put on events and we’re going to start monthly markets later