Funeral home is raided for just £4
BURGLAR LEAVES BLOOD AT SCENE
A BUNGLING burglar threw a rock through the window of a funeral home and stole just £4 – but was caught out by leaving his blood all over the scene.
Jason Ross broke into J Hindmarsh and Sons Funeral Directors in Byker between January 9 and January 12 this year after smashing the window of the Shields Road business.
However, the 48-year-old, of Spires Lane, Byker, Newcastle, only came away with £4 in coins.
His actions were slammed as “totally disrespectful” by the funeral directors.
Now, Ross has been handed a community order after pleading guilty to burglary at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.
Prosecutor Iain Jordan said a member of staff at the funeral parlour had been travelling to work when she received a call saying the window had been smashed using a large rock and a quantity of blood had been left inside.
Mr Jordan told the court: “She confirmed when she had left the premises the window had not been smashed and there was no blood on the premises.
“It was quite apparent the blood was there as a result of the window being broken.
“An untidy search had been made and there were four pounds missing from a pot in the cabinet.”
A victim impact statement from the woman said: “Nobody has the right to steal from our company, we are a small business.
“We often have deceased persons in our chapel of rest but luckily on this occasion we did not.
“Why anyone would want to burgle a funeral directors is beyond me. I think it’s totally disrespectful.”
The court heard the blood was sent away for forensic analysis and matched that of Ross.
Mr Jordan said: “There is nothing to suggest the premises had been targeted - one would wonder what he intended to steal from a funeral directors.”
In mitigation, the court heard Ross had a “lengthy psychiatric history” and had no recollection of the incident.
Magistrates were told at the time of the burglary Ross had been “abandoned by his carer” for two weeks and was “very much a man who needs looking after.”
Ross was sentenced to a community order with rehabilitation activity requirement.
He was also ordered to pay a £20 fine as well as £437.48 in compensation to the funeral directors. Nobody has the right to steal from our company, we are a small business. We often have deceased persons in our chapel of rest but luckily on this occasion we did not.