A building site burglar who failed to turn up to his trial because he thought he had covid was accused of ‘throwing a sickie’.

Stuart Milne, 37, was due to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court on Monday accused of breaking into new build properties at four sites across the county in 2018.

Together with his brother, he smashed windows and stole expensive boilers and ovens – leaving the developers more than £40,000 out of pocket.

The Northamptonshire man failed to show-up at court at the start of the week, claiming he had coronavirus symptoms.

He was ordered by the judge to get a test, which proved negative. Despite claiming to feel unwell, Milne appeared in court via the video link on Monday and changed his plea to guilty. Having tested negative for Covid-19, he was before the crown court on Wednesday.

Sentencing Milne to 18 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: “You know better than anybody in this court that I ought to be sending you to prison immediately.

“That’s why you threw a sickie over the weekend and on Monday, because you didn’t want to face up to the reality of the situation you got yourself involved in in 2018.”

He said Milne had ‘rather redeemed himself’ by appearing before the court via video link on Monday afternoon, when he asked the judge for an indication of the likely sentence he would receive if he pleaded guilty.

“At the end of the day you have accepted that what you’ve done amounts to a conspiracy that was alleged and what you did was absolutely appalling,” the judge added.

“In July and August 2018 - and I emphasise the fact it was 2018, so three years ago – you, led by your brother, broke into all these properties in four different building sites in Ducklington, Long Hanborough and Banbury, causing considerable damage to those premises, quite unnecessary damage, taking out boilers and ovens costing the companies Redrow and so on thousands and thousands of pounds.”

Prosecutor Adam Williams said Milne was identified from blood and DNA left at the scene of the burglaries.

He said the defendant had been led by his older brother, Nathan Milne, who was the one who sold the stolen items. The brother, who admitted conspiracy to burgle, was jailed for two years at an earlier hearing.

Mitigating, Michael Haggar said his client was suffering from depression and was addicted to cocaine when he committed the burglaries. His marriage had broken down the year before and his mother had died.

Since being arrested, he had met a new partner and supported her two children. He worked in food logistics, had a mortgage and had managed to kick his cocaine habit. He had remained out of trouble.

Milne, of Glendon Road, Kettering, pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiracy to commit non-dwelling burglary. He had 12 previous convictions for 25 offences but had a limited record for dishonesty.

Judge Gledhill noted the changes Milne had made in his life, saying he was able to suspend the sentence.

He ordered the burglar to do 140 hours of unpaid work and pay almost £2,300 in compensation and £750 costs.

The judge warned him: “You’ve been given a chance. Don’t blow it. Don’t come back before this court ever again.”

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