Store raider was tracked by blood left at the scene
A serial criminal who broke into a Sunderland B&Q store did not do it by himself, a court heard.
Lacey Robson, 47, was with others who broke into the outlet in Trimdon Street, Millfield, in the early hours of Monday, July 12.
But he was the only one caught; a blood sample on broken glass revealing DNA that implicated him in the £865 raid.
Prosecutor Niamh Reading said it was analysed by forensics experts and tied Robson, of Toward Street, Hendon, to the crime.
She told magistrates in South Tyneside that the offender
was well known to law enforcers, with 61 criminal convictions to his name.
They are made up of 121 offences, of which 76 are for
theft or similar crimes.
Ms Reading said: “Five Makita and one Dewalt drill were taken, and there was £500 damage to the door.
“Scene of crime officers attended, and they found blood had been left.
“A swab was taken, which was forensically examined. It proved a positive match for the DNA of the defendant.”
Robson pleaded guilty to burglary of a non-dwelling property, with his role in the offence being put at two stolen drills.
Heather Bolton, defending, said: “He made full admissions to the police when interviewed.
“There were other people involved in this incident. On the charge sheet, he’s charged with £300 of drills.
“His offending has somewhat slowed down. He’s had a problem with drug use in the past.
“There’s one offence in 2020 and one in 2021, his offending has reduced in recent years.”
Doreen Stoneman, chair of the bench, told Robson he faced 18 weeks behind bars as a starting point for the burglary.
But she added: “We’ve looked at your record and quite honestly, it’s not good.
“We’ve noticed that it has slowed down. We hope that’s a ray of light.”
Robson was sentenced to a two-year community order, with a requirement of one year of drug rehabilitation and 25 days of other rehabilitation work.
The defendant must also pay B&Q £100 compensation and abide by a nine-week, 8pm to 7am electronically monitored curfew.
There were no court costs or victim surcharge.