A "career thief" who burgled two pubs on the same day has been jailed.
Brian Walton, along with an unidentified accomplice, burgled a Wetherspoon's pub on September 16 this year before going to another pub and burgling that as the female licensee and her daughter slept upstairs. The 37-year-old took money from a safe, two charity boxes and sets of keys in the burglaries.
Walton, of Sycamore Street, Ashington, appeared at Newcastle's Moot Hall on Wednesday to be sentenced for two counts of non-domestic burglary. He had pleaded guilty to the charges.
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Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said in the early hours of September 16, Walton, with an unknown accomplice, broke into the The Rohan Kanhai pub on Woodhorn Road. He said: "The alarm was activated and the defendant, with an unidentified male, forced into the premises by smashing a glass panel and kicking it out of the door. Both were wearing stocking masks and were caught on CCTV."
The court was told Walton stole a safe containing £30, papers, USBs and keys in the burglary before later making his way to the Block & Tackle on Blackthorn Way as the female licensee and her daughter slept upstairs. Mr Pallister said: "They were woken up after the alarm was activated. CCTV showed the men in the bar and they contacted the police as they could hear banging. When police arrived the intruders had left."
The court heard Walton, who had 36 previous convictions for 70 offences, had forced open the front door and forced open a gaming machine before making off with charity boxes. Officers recognised Walton from the CCTV footage and he was arrested days later, with some stolen items being recovered.
Geoff Knowles, defending, said Walton, who appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham, had been sentenced to a 16 week prison sentence last week for other matters. He said the burglaries were "unsophisticated" and were committed at a time when Walton had no medication for his mental health issues. Mr Knowles said: "He simply has very little recollection of what went on that night and he made admissions. He has a number of mental health issues and was subject to being kidnapped and tortured in 2005." Mr Knowles added Walton was a "family man" who has children and was working while in prison.
Sentencing Walton, Recorder Mark McKone KC, said he was "essentially a career thief" who began offending at the age of 14 and said the theft of charity boxes was "mean-spirited". Walton was jailed for two years.
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