Two thieves broke into City of Liverpool College and stole items that were meant to be sent to people in need in Ukraine.
Dewi Jones and Lee Thompson broke into the city centre college in the early hours of June 6 this year.
Liverpool Magistrates Court heard they forced their way through a security gate before stealing a number of items from inside the building.
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Callum Bryce, prosecuting, said Thompson, 41, and Jones, 45, took around £300 of goods and caused £200 in damage to the college.
He said: “They forced open the gates at quarter past 10 in the evening and entered a secure store room. An electric bike charger was taken and they stole other items which were intended to be given to charities helping those affected by the war in Ukraine.”
The court heard the burglary itself required some planning but there was no evidence to suggest the men specifically targeted the charity items.
Weeks after the burglary at City of Liverpool College, Jones was then spotted in the city centre trying to pry open a pay and display metre using a hammer and chisel and was arrested. He pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this morning, appearing over video link from prison.
The court heard he had a lengthy criminal record, including 75 incidents of theft. Steve Charters, defending Jones, said he had been addicted to drugs for much of his adult life and this had been the source of much of his offending.
He said Jones had managed to significantly reduce the crime he was committing in recent years and had stabilised his life until his partner passed away and he was left homeless. Mr Charters said Jones then turned back to crime but believed that he could rebuild his life with the assistance of the probation service.
Jones, of no fixed abode, was handed 12 weeks in prison and magistrates ordered compensation to be paid to City of Liverpool College. Thompson, of Fenwick Street, was not in court this morning and will be sentenced at a later date.
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