Blood trail leads to charity break-in
Paul Kenny, 60, of Dene House in Walker, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to burglary of a non-dwelling at Newcastle Magistrates' Court. The court heard he smashed windows to gain entry to The Walking With Centre in Wallsend, a charity that supports asylum seekers, before ransacking the building and fleeing empty-handed.
Volunteers discovered the break-in on the morning of 15 July and called police. Kenny was quickly identified after spots of blood found at the scene matched his DNA.
Prosecution details
Emily Hunt, prosecuting, told the court: "There was a mess inside the building. Items were out of place and windows were smashed. There were blood spots inside the kitchen. No items appeared to have been taken, however, there was £430-worth of damage."
In a statement, the chief executive of the charity said: "To be the victim of this sort of criminal activity has been extremely disappointing and upsetting as we work hard to support the most vulnerable in our society."
Previous record and sentence
Kenny was on a suspended sentence for possessing a knife at the time of the burglary, and had already breached it once by committing a burglary in May. The court heard he had 127 offences on his record, including 94 for theft and dishonesty.
John Brown, defending, said Kenny had been working well with the Probation Service and had his own accommodation, suggesting a curfew as an alternative to custody. Magistrates disagreed, however, and activated the nine-month suspended sentence while adding a further six months for the latest burglary, giving a total of 15 months in prison.
