A BURGLAR with an “appalling” record said he broke into a house only because he wanted to go to prison.
Michael Pope, of Sunnybank Avenue, Coventry, admitted stealing jewellery from a property in Arnolds Way, off Cumnor Hill, on June 18.
Julian Lynch, prosecuting, said the 50-year-old entered the house at about 1pm through a window, taking gold jewellery worth a “substantial” amount. Mr Lynch told Recorder Simon Blackford that Pope had 28 burglary previous convictions, but had stopped offending in 2004.
Recorder Blackford called the case “extraordinary” because of the defendant’s reason for his crime. He said: “It seems things had simply become too much for you, because of the debt you were in and threats that were made against you and against your daughter.”
Pope was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay a £100 victims’ surcharge on release.
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