Richard Hunter, 50, pleaded guilty to burglary of a non-dwelling at Newcastle Magistrates' Court after police linked him to the break-in at Shields Road Post Office in Byker through fingerprints, CCTV, and a witness who heard him discussing the crime.
Hunter and two other men forced open the front door of the Post Office on November 26 last year, entered the premises, and stole £1,450-worth of cash and cables, prosecutors said. The trio were captured on CCTV opening parcels and searching the building before leaving. Two of the gang left fingerprints at the scene.
Arrest after accommodation staff tip-off
While police were identifying the suspects from the fingerprints, a staff member at Virginia House, where Hunter and a co-accused were living, told an officer they had heard the three men discussing a burglary they had committed in Byker. Hunter was arrested and identified from his fingerprints, CCTV footage, and the witness statement.
The court heard that a manager at the Post Office confirmed the amount of cash and cables stolen and that parcels had been opened, but could not say if anything had been taken from the parcels.
Mental health and drug issues raised in court
Hunter, of Clifford Street, Byker, has 203 offences on his record. He was last in court in March 2026 for criminal damage, where he smeared his own faeces across two Northumbria Police cells. His defence solicitor, Michael Crowe, said Hunter suffered from mental health problems and drug addiction, adding: "He's got a substantial record, going back decades. However, recently, there has been a reduction in the frequency of his offending."
Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report and released Hunter on unconditional bail to appear back at the same court on October 23.
