A hapless burglar who broke his leg when he leapt from an upstairs window of a house he was raiding as been jailed.
As previously reported on Chroniclelive, Dion Johnston injured himself trying to flee after police turned up while he was in the process of carrying out the burglary in Easington Lane, Sunderland, and was found in a nearby garden. His accomplice, who also jumped, got away.
A court heard that officers attended the address after reports it was being broken into at around 10pm on May 22 last year. The house already had a boarded up window after being burgled just 24 hours earlier.
Read More: Albanian cannabis farmer behind bars after police find 148 plants at house in Heaton
Johnston was located in a nearby garden and told the constables "My mate pushed me out of the window and ran away. I can't believe he got away, like," prosecutors said. Nothing was found to have been stolen and the crook was then taken to hospital for treatment to his leg.
Johnston, 22, formerly of Wordsworth Avenue, Easington Lane but now of no fixed abode, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court in January this year after pleading guilty to burglary. He also admitted burgling another house in the town on October 23 2021 and burglary of a bungalow development in January last year, where he stole tools worth £6,269. On both occasions, he was identified after leaving blood at the scene.
He also entered a guilty plea to threatening to damage property, which was in relation to his mother's car, after she refused to give him money on May 19 last year. As reported in January, Recorder Anthony Dunne agreed to give Johnston a chance and deferred his sentence until March after hearing he made positive changes in his life and had found full time employment.
However, Johnston blew his chance after failing to turn up to subsequent court hearings, losing his employment and refusing to comply with the Probation Service. As a result, Mr Recorder Dunne locked him for 18 months when he was finally sentenced this week.
Mr Recorder Dunne said: "It's unlikely you would comply with any community-based sentence or suspended term of imprisonment. As these offences are so serious that only custody is appropriate, that means the sentence I will impose today will have to be immediate."
The court heard that the first burglary occurred at a home in Easington Lane in October 2021. Johnston gained access to the house, which was vacant at the time as it was in the process of being sold, and made off with pocket watches, bags, clothes, dumbbells, a hoover and tools.
The owners, who discovered the break-in, contacted police and blood that had been left at the scene was analysed and found to belong to Johnston. Three months later, Johnston struck again, this time at a bungalow development, where he stole £6,269-worth of tools and, again, left blood at the scene.
On May 19 last year, Johnston turned up at his mother's home and threatened to damage her car when she refused to lend him money. Finally, on May 22 he was snared after injuring his leg while raiding another home in Easington Lane.
Ellen Wright, prosecuting, said: "Police arrived at the scene. A passer-by informed the police that two people had jumped from the upstairs window. One person ran off. The defendant was located in a nearby garden, with an ankle injury."
Helen Towers, defending, said Johnston was still a young man, didn't have any similar convictions and did have a period of stable employment. She told the court Johnston had also not committed any further offences since the burglary in May last year and had pleaded guilty.
Read Next
Man allegedly caught with knife and tools to aid burglary at Kenton petrol station
Morpeth man in court accused of breaking ex's hand during suspected attack
Masked Gateshead teen fined after being found wandering street armed with knife
Newcastle drunk jailed after threatening to stab and throw ammonia on Tesco shopper
Prolific Gateshead shoplifter avoids jail after threatening off-duty police with glass bottle
