A man who broke into the Revolution Bar to steal bottles of booze told police he did it as he wanted to live a ‘luxury life’ in prison.
Rhys Clarke, 27, who has almost 30 previous convictions for thefts, was caught breaking into the club on Deansgate in August this year.
Officers saw him putting bottles of Grey Goose vodka, Jack Daniels and Courvoisier into his rucksack before chasing him from the scene, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
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He was quickly apprehended but told officers: “There are worse burglars out there than me, I’m going to live a luxury life in Forest Bank."
Clarke, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary but was handed a suspended sentence.
Prosecuting, Katy Laverty said on August 18 of this year, at around 5.07am, alarms were raised at the establishment on Whitworth Street.
“There was minor damage to the door and a discarded metal bar found nearby,” she said.
“On arrival, officers observed him putting a selection of bottles of alcohol into his rucksack.
“He managed to leave before being detained on Princess Street.
“In total he took two Grey Goose vodka bottles, three Jack Daniels bottles, one of which had been smashed, and one bottle of Courvoisier.”
Clarke was said to have 32 previous convictions for 57 offences, 28 of which are for theft.
Mitigating, Nicola Carroll said following his release from prison, he had no support network and was living homeless without access to resources.
“He was riddled with addiction, “ she said.
“He was in a lifestyle of this offending, going through the revolving door of custody.
“It saddens me to have to mitigate for somebody who has been let down by the system.
“He must have been in a desperate place indeed.”
She added that her client suffers with a mental disorder which would be exacerbated by a prison environment.
Sentencing, Recorder Imran Shafi QC said: “The comment you made was eloquent of your state of mind at the time.
“From what your counsel has told me, it was actually a fairly general remark.”
Clarke, of no fixed abode, was handed 12 weeks imprisonment which was suspended for two years, a 12 month drug rehabilitation requirement and 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
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