Career burglar broke into Wakefield Trinity RLFC on three consecutive nights
A career burglar broke into Wakefield Trinity’s ground on three consecutive nights, along with a pub and a florist - claiming he was looking for food.
Aaron Thompson smashed his way into Belle Vue and took bar stock and items worth more than £4,000. He also broke into the Castle Inn pub in Wakefield.
Having been bailed after a court appearance for those matters, three days later he broke into The Little Westgate Florist in Wakefield city centre.
Claiming he was looking for food on each break-in, Judge Simon Batiste pointed out that a florist was “not the obvious location to find food”.
Leeds Crown Court heard that 42-year-old Thompson had gone to Wakefield Trinity in the early hours of March 16 with a female accomplice. They smashed a window with a hammer to gain entry to the bar area. CCTV caught them taking stock from behind the bar.
Thompson returned the next night with two males, gaining entry through the same broken window and taking further stock. He then returned twice more the following night stealing a laptop, DJ mixing decks and two TVs, exiting through a fire door. The total taken from the rugby club came to £4,300.
That same night Thompson broke into the Castle Inn pub by smashing a window. He ripped the till from the bar and left, but the till was empty. Again, he was seen on CCTV with another male who stood guard outside.
Finally, on June 23 - just days after he admitted the burglaries in court - he broke into the florist on Little Westgate. Using a boulder to smash the glass panel in the door, he was spotted inside holding a torch by patrolling police.
Held on remand at HMP Lincoln, he appeared in court via video link this week where he admitted five counts of burglary. He also admitted breach of a criminal behaviour order (CBO) he was given that bans him from entering Wakefield city centre on a night.
Thompson, of no fixed address, has 49 previous convictions for 140 previous offences, including 58 for theft, six dwelling burglaries and 11 non-dwelling burglaries.
Mitigating, Lily Wildman said due to his record, Thompson had resigned himself to a lengthy jail sentence.
She said: “After being released from custody, he found himself in the same position he is always in, that he was searching for food.
“He has been in and out of the custodial environment since he was 16 years of age.”
She said he was on medication for his drug addiction and was willing to engage with services to help him.
Judge Batiste jailed Thompson for 43 months and disregarded his claims about searching for food.
He said: “You have a truly shocking record. You are a career criminal and a career burglar.”