A burglar targeted antique shops and a house in an "affluent area" of Jesmond in order to fund his alcohol addiction.
Thomas Tams carried out a spree of offending in December and January which involved him breaking into a man's home and stealing bottles of wine and clothing accessories. He also targeted a store in Newcastle and two antique shops in Jesmond.
The 35-year-old, of Cartington Terrace, Heaton, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Thursday via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for charges of burglary, theft, criminal damage, going equipped for burglary, and attempted burglary with intent to steal. He had pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed.
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The court heard that Tams began the offending on December 1 last year when he stole a Hugo Boss gift set worth £60 from a Newcastle Superdrug. The police were called and Tams was found in possession of "tin snips" which are used to cut off security tags.
Later that month, on December 10, Tams was caught again after targeting two Jesmond antique shops. Christopher Bevan, prosecuting said Tams burgled Antiquities Francaises on Gowan Terrace and attempted to burgle Fern Avenue Antiques on Fern Avenue.
He said: "At 8.15pm police received a call that two people in black clothing had entered an antique shop in Jesmond. The defendant was found hiding between the gate and the front door of another store. There was damage to a front shop window and a door amounting to £500." When Tams was searched, antiques to a value unknown were found in his bag and he admitted to police he'd carried out the burglary to "fund alcohol".
The next incident happened on January 1 this year, when Tams was seen trying to smash the glass of the Elder Beer Café on Chillingham Road in Newcastle and caused £200 damage to the door. Tams fled after being "challenged" by a witness.
Days later, on January 6, Tams burgled a home on Collingwood Terrace in Jesmond and stole cufflinks, wine and tie pins amounting to £340. Mr Bevan said: "The homeowner was away when he received a doorbell notification and could see it had been knocked off, with the defendant and another man attempting to gain entry." He said that Tams was later arrested after police saw an image of him on Facebook and a crow bar was subsequently found in his home.
The court was told Tams had 28 previous convictions for 56 offences, 25 of which were theft related.
John Crawford, defending, said: "Clearly this defendant has had significant drinking problems that have caused substantial damage to himself. From the end of 2020 there was a period of non-offending, during that period he hadn't been drinking and had went to AA meetings. He underwent surgery in July 2022 which led to substantial internal haemorrhaging as a result of issues during the operation."
Mr Crawford said that following his operation Tams was in a "coma for a number of weeks" and resumed drinking afterwards. He added that his "situation spiralled" and he committed the offences and that "alcohol has ruined his life".
Sentencing Tam, Judge James Adkin said he "targeted an affluent area" in Jesmond and jailed him for 34 months.
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