Prison for burglar with 101 offences to his name

A PROLIFIC burglar and thief from Nottingham is back behind bars for breaking into the same pub twice in two weeks to steal booze.

Nottingham Crown Court heard how Nicholas Jackson also carried out two thefts in Clifton when he was at large having failed to turn up for court to face trial for earlier targeting the West Bridgford pub.

The 51-year-old, who has 101 previous offences to his name, was snared by DNA left on a bag of booze he dropped when scaling a fence to escape from a hospital night warden who was trying to catch him.

And Jackson, of Mapperley, then refused to return an e-scooter he stole from a woman who knew him and who told him she would not go to the police if he simply gave it her back.

Jailing him for a total of three years and three months, Judge Stuart Rafferty said: “You are 51 now and you have spent half, or perhaps more than half of your life committing crime and being caught. You might just conclude you are not a very successful criminal at all.”

Stuart Pattinson, prosecuting, said the two burglaries both happened at the Gamston Lock, in Radcliffe Road, in December 2021.

He said on both occasions the manager, who lived in a flat above, was woken by the intruder alarm but could not get downstairs in time to confront the defendant who, on both occasions, was carrying a bag which he filled with bottles of alcohol. The prosecutor said on the second occasion a night warden at a nearby hospital chased Jackson, who dropped the bag as he scaled a fence in a bid to escape and which contained his DNA. He said: “On both occasions, glass was smashed as the point of entry and the total value of what was stolen and the cost to replace the glass was precisely £2,999.”

While he was being sought for that trial he committed two thefts, both in Southchurch Drive, Clifton – laundry products from Wilko and an e-scooter.

Jackson, of Fletcher Terrace, off Querneby Road, finally pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and two counts of theft. His 46 convictions for 101 offences include 22 burglaries. He also admitted the offences put him in breach of both a suspended sentence and a community order, also for burglaries and thefts.

Digby Johnson, mitigating, said Jackson’s mother, who was his most avid supporter, had died in 2019, adding: “His problems have been class A drugs and more recently alcohol.”