Burglar is sent to prison after ‘trashing’ centre
This is the damage an “appalling” raider caused to a further education centre in Sunderland when he “trashed” the place and stole tools, laptops and computer monitors.
Anthony Kirtley left Learning Curve Group’s construction academy in Sunderland with a loss of income of £8,000 after smashing his way inside and stealing computer equipment and joinery tools.
The shameless intruder trashed a number of rooms and pulled CCTV cameras off the ceiling during the night of destruction on August 12 last year, which resulted in the training provider having to cancel classes and close its doors to students for three days.
But the brash 30-year-old inadvertently left behind a blood-stained tissue and a cupboard door smeared with his DNA at the premises on Pallion Industrial Estate.
Kirtley, of Cossack Terrace, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and possession of cannabis at a earlier hearing.
A judge sentenced him to two years behind bars, on Wednesday, February 5.
PC Sophie Harkness, of Northumbria Police, welcomed the custodial sentence and said Kirtley should be “ashamed” of his actions.
“This was an appalling crime which caused a huge amount of damage, distress and inconvenience to many people,” PC Harkness said.
“Kirtley showed a total disregard for the law and his community as he smashed his way into the centre, which is used by ambitious students to better themselves by learning new skills and gaining qualifications.
“By ransacking the building, ripping items off the walls and stealing thousands of pounds of electronic goods, he deprived others of key educational materials and a number of sessions had to be cancelled.
“In his haste to get away with his crime, Kirtley left behind a tissue stained with his blood which allowed our forensic experts to prove his guilt. I hope those concerned can take some consolation knowing he is now behind bars.”
Kirtley also admitted a separate burglary in relation to a burglary at flat on Lyndhurst Terrace on August 6, last year. He now begins a two-year term in jail.