SERIAL OFFENDER CONFRONTED AFTER BREAK-IN Burglary victim tracks down stolen jewellery
Court reporter A BURGLARY victim turned detective to track down “irreplaceable” jewellery stolen in a raid on his home.
The householder was told serial crook Mark Fada may have information about the break-in at the house in South Shields.
The man went to Fada’s home to confront him, which led to jewellery worth hundreds of pounds being returned.
Fada, who has 40 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and insisted it was someone else who had burgled the family.
Now the 23-year-old, of Albany Close, South Shields, has been freed on a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.
Referring to the victim, prosecutor Paul Green told the court: “He received a telephone call indicating Mr Fada had information in relation to the burglary.
“He went to the address the same day.
“His friend went to the front door and he went to the back. As he walked up the back lane and the friend knocked on the front door, Fada jumped out of the window.
“He talked to Fada and demanded the return of the stolen property.”
The court heard Fada asked the victim to come back to the house later, which he did and was given a bag containing stolen items.
Fada, 23, who has convictions for offences including numerous burglaries, was arrested by the police, who discovered he had kept some jewellery back for himself.
Vic Laffey, defending, said Fada had approached a man who was “well known in South Shields” to get the stolen goods back and had “received a kicking” for his efforts.
Judge Robert Adams, who sentenced him to six months suspended for 18 months, said: “Thankfully, the items were recovered.”