A crook who knowingly bought £2,400-worth of stolen computers for just £40 was snared thanks to a tracking device.
Daniel Mair, who is currently in a wheelchair after suffering two broken legs, appeared in court last week after he used a large garden fork to damage a flat door while the occupants were inside. However, just seven days later, the 34-year-old was back in the dock in relation to a separate matter after he was caught with £2,400-worth of stolen goods.
Magistrates heard that a burglary had occurred at a house in Jesmond, where a Nike bag and two Apple MacBooks were taken, on March 7 this year. The matter was reported to the police and, using a tracking device, officers were able to locate the electronic devices at Mair's home just two days later.
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Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that police attended Mair's address, where he was found hiding under a bed, and found the stolen goods. They also seized his mobile phone, which contained text messages relating to him offering to buy the MacBooks for £40.
Mair, of Pandon Court ,in Shieldfield, appeared in the dock this week to plead guilty to one count of handling stolen goods. He was given a two-year community order and must do 60 hours of unpaid work.
Niamh Reading, prosecuting, said the burglary took place at the property on Sanderson Road, in Jesmond, between 6.30am and 9am on March 7 this year. There is no suggestion that Mair took part in that burglary.
Miss Reading continued: "A Nike bag and two MacBooks were stolen. Those MacBooks were tracked to an address in Cheviot Mount on March 9 and officers attended. The defendant was inside and was hiding under a bed. The bag and two MacBooks were recovered. The defendant said they were his but he said he thought they might have been stolen."
The court heard that Mair's phone was seized and messages offering to buy the goods for £40 were discovered. All the items were returned to their owners.
Michael Crowe, defending, said Mair had been out of trouble since 2019, with exception of the criminal damage matter he appeared before the court for earlier this month. Mr Crowe added: "Someone has committed a burglary and they have tried to sell the items and sent texts to people, including Mr Mair.
"Mr Mair has received a number of messages, which encourage him to buy these goods at a bargain price. He's agreed to do that. He made a poor decision to buy these items."
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