A burglar who twice broke into a student accommodation complex in Belfast in an attempt to steal wall-mounted televisions has been jailed for eight months after being injured during one of the break-ins.
The case was heard at Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors said the man targeted the same student accommodation block on two separate occasions in an effort to remove televisions fixed to the walls inside the building.
The court heard that during one of the incidents the burglar was wounded while inside the property, although the exact circumstances of how the injury occurred were not detailed during the hearing. Despite being injured, he continued with the attempted theft before leaving the scene.
Police from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) later investigated the incidents after the break-ins were reported at the accommodation complex. Evidence gathered by officers linked the suspect to both attempts to remove the wall-mounted televisions.
During the hearing, the court was told that the burglar had entered the student accommodation block twice with the intention of stealing the large screens, which were fixed to walls inside the building. The attempts caused damage to the property and disruption for residents living in the complex.
After considering the details of the case, the judge imposed a custodial sentence of eight months, concluding that a prison term was appropriate given the repeated nature of the offending and the deliberate targeting of the building.
Student accommodation blocks across Northern Ireland/The North have increasingly been fitted with fixed televisions and shared facilities, making them potential targets for opportunistic thefts. Police have previously urged property managers and residents to report suspicious activity around residential complexes.
The burglar was taken into custody following the court hearing to begin serving the sentence imposed by the court.
Source: https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/courts/limping-burglar-was-carrying-a-60-inch-tv-5702229
