Family now friends with man who raided house
Police cite success of justice scheme that helps reform offenders
IT is the ultimate act of forgiveness. A Birmingham family whose home was broken in to by a prolific thief are now unlikely friends with the burglar – and even accept Christmas gifts from him.
Anne Linton and Terry Field’s Tyseley home was raided back in May 2019 by a man who crept through a bedroom window and stole electrical items and cash while they were away.
Police identified the offender – a prolific burglar with a catalogue of offences to his name – and arrested the then 39-year-old, having linked him to several other opportunist break-ins.
He was put before the courts and faced another jail term.
But, rather than simply locking him up again, the courts agreed to place him on a deferred sentence rehabilitation programme which West Midlands Police had piloted, a first for UK policing.
Designed to “break the cycle of offending and cut crime”, the project sees repeat burglars – non-violent offenders whose crimes are drugfuelled – offered a chance to make amends to victims and get their lives back on track.
West Midlands Police says Mark – as he wishes to be known – has stayed drug and crime-free since enrolling on the ‘C3’ scheme almost two years ago.
Having first met his victims to apologise and seek forgiveness during a Restorative Justice process, Mark has gone on to strike up an unlikely friendship with the couple, helping them with odd jobs, and even sending Christmas presents.
He has now offered to regularly tend Anne and Terry’s garden, including laying paving slabs and trimming hedges, as ill health means they struggle to stay on top of its maintenance.
Mark, now aged 41, said: “Anne and Terry gave me the chance to change my life and without them I don’t think I would be alive today. I owe them everything and I will always be in their debt.
“I will do anything I can to help them, all they have to do is ask and I will be there. I can never change what I did and I will always be ashamed.
“All I can do now is to try and make things right. The C3 programme has turned my life around and for the first time in my life I am drugs and crime-free. I will never go back to those days.”
Offenders on the programme have their jail sentence put on hold for the period they are enrolled and are electronically tagged for the first four months.
They enter into “contracts” outlining targets they must hit – things like commitment to training or employment
I can never change what I did... All I can do now is to try and make things right. Reformed burglar Mark
opportunities, restorative justice, or addiction support – are drug tested every week, and must meet regularly with police and probation.
The participants must admit to all of their offending and anyone failing to adhere to the deal is taken back to court and an increased jail sentence imposed.
Police claim it has proved a success, with burglary rates falling across the West Midlands by around 30 per cent since the C3 pilot launch in 2017. A total of 20 burglars have taken part in the project to date – resolving a total of 830 offences between them – with 14 successfully steering clear of crime.