A bungling burglar left his DNA at the scene of a crime and then was confronted by office workers who were in the middle of their Christmas party.
Robert Bampton, 34, was finally caught out and his thieving spree brought to an end when he was caught by a staff member at Leeming House in Leeds on December 9 this year.
Bampton, of Stratfird Street in Beeston, had previously targeted the building but did not manage to escape this time. Prosecutor Zarreen Alam-Cheetham told Leeds Crown Court on Friday: "The defendant forced entry and employees were on the top floor having their Christmas party. Damage was caused. A police constable confirms that a call was received from a man who stated a man had forced his way into a building with a hammer.
"A staff member went to use the toilet and saw the door had been smashed and called the police. The police arrived and heard movement and saw someone running away through the fire exit and a number of members of the public pointed out a man they were looking for and a chase ensued."
Once Bampton was caught he was searched and a bank card in another man's name was found. It was not the first time Bampton had targeted the building and businesses inside it. In a burglary on November 24, he stole items including two Apple Macbooks, six keyboards, two bottles of alcohol, a hard-drive, an Apple cable and a rucksack containing four bottles of champagne.
In another on November 13, Bampton targeted an Iceland supermarket store on Dewsbury Road in Hunslet. The court heard he selected items and put them into a wheelie bin. Items including a charity box with £70 inside, a bottle of wine, beer and cheese. His DNA was found on a can of cider in the store's basement.
Ms Alam-Cheetham said another burglary at Leeming House on October 30 also included a further 13 offences to be taken into consideration. She said the total value of all items taken in the spree cost over £26,000. The court heard he has previous offences on his record including four for non-dwelling burglary.
Richard Holland, mitigating, told the court Bampton had been released from Wormwood Scrubs in London in August this year and despite making plans to stay with his sister in Darlington, he got off his coach in Leeds.
He said: "He is from London. He missed an appointment where he should have picked up his methadone prescription. He started using drugs. He went to stay with his sister in Darlington and got off the coach in Leeds and started using drugs in Leeds.
"There have been large periods of his life where he has been in employment as a chef. The last period of his life on drugs was due to the passing of his mum. If he can get the support he wants he is someone who is qualified to work and wants to work."
His Honour Judge Batty jailed Bampton for two years and told him he had become a "menace" to the businesses in Leeming House. He said: "You obviously saw it as a soft touch, somewhere you could get in to easily and get around a number of businesses and they were businesses you knew that after clearing out they would replace it so back you would go and take even more items.
"If you get off drink and drugs you can lead a successful life."
Bampton will have to serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
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