A burglar who wore a protective face mask is facing jail after he broke into a pet shop in Sunderland and stole dozens of dog harnesses worth hundreds of pounds.
Martin Urban, 50, raided JP Pet Supplies in Roker on May 9 in the middle of the day and took 35 dog harnesses from the stock room, which were worth more than £500.
The following day at 2.30pm he tried to raid Ps & Qs Bar in the city centre by using a brick to smash the glass.
The owner of the bar, which is currently being refurbished, contacted police and spotted Urban on CCTV footage.
He was spotted by the owner on nearby Mary Street less than 24 hours later and he was arrested.
Urban, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary and attempted burglary at South Tyneside Magistrates on May 13.
PC Shaun Smith, who investigated the case, said: “During the Bank Holiday weekend when the rest of our communities were pulling together to celebrate VE Day and displayed the spirit this region is famed for, Martin Urban instead caused misery to others for purely selfish gains.
“He first broke into a pet shop in the middle of the day and made off with hundreds of pounds worth of stock, and then 24 hours later he tried to smash his way into a city centre bar.
“But his deception has now been laid bare, and I would like to thank the victim who rang us after spotting Urban loitering outside other premises.
“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards this type of criminality, and we hope the public recognise we are taking swift and robust action against those who seek to undermine the fabric of our communities.
“Our neighbourhood teams continue to proactively patrol our streets in order to identify offenders and ensure burglars like Urban have their day in court.”
Urban is due to be sentenced on July 2 at Newcastle Crown Court.
