Nuisance offender banned from area of Wakefield after burgling friend's home

Christopher Stalker has been handed a four-year criminal behaviour order (CBO), but must serve a jail sentence after he admitted a charge of burglary of the flat on Savile Street near the city centre.

The 39-year-old appeared in Leeds Crown Court via video link from HMP Leeds, but had to be muted by the court after he continually interrupted, then began making bizarre gesticulations towards the camera.

Prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe said the woman had known Stalker for a short while and knew him as “Titch”. At around midnight on November 16 last year, he turned up at her home asking to stay, but she refused, saying she was not permitted to let anyone stay in the small one-bedroom flat.

The next night he returned again, asking if she could boil some water for a Pot Noodle he was holding. She let him in temporarily but he left after she made him the snack. It was thought that Stalker had snatched her key while she was distracted.

He later let himself into the flat while she was out, and was confronted by a support worker as he left, but he began ranting saying the woman had stolen his medication from him. The court heard he was banned from the Marsh Way House homeless support properties, but he continues to deny it.

The woman occupier said items had been thrown around her flat, while medication and £40 in cash had been taken, along with food items. The break-in was reported to the police and Stalker was arrested at Wakefield Bus Station.

He was found in possession of some of the stolen food items, and a quantity of the synthetic cannabis drug, spice. He has more than 80 previous offences to his name, including five dwelling burglaries.

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As well as the latest burglary, he admitted possession of the drugs, and three breaches of the sex offender register. He was put on the register in 1999 after being convicted of sexual assault, and must attend the police station regularly. However, he failed to attend on three occasions having been made homeless.

Mitigating, Michael Walsh said the burglary was an “unusual offence” in that Stalker had gone there to retrieve what he perceived as his belongings, but then took food items with him.

But Judge Simon Batiste said the reasons were not good enough to spare him custody under the three-strike burglary rule. He jailed him for 32 months’ jail. He was also given a restraining order to keep him away from the woman.

His CBO bans him from the Arundel Close and Saville Street area of Wakefield. Should be breach the terms, he likely faces a swift return to prison.