Amazon van full of parcels stolen on Leeds street
Dozens of parcels later found in abandoned property
A van full of Amazon parcels was stolen from a street after the driver left the engine running during a delivery.
The vehicle was snatched in the Horsforth area on the evening of June 13, but suspicious activity a short time later led police to a property in the Cookridge area, most of the missing parcels and Adam Kilmister.
The 43-year-old appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted a charge of handling stolen goods.
The court heard that the driver had been delivering on Prospect Terrace at around 6.20pm that night, but it was driven away.
It had around 40 parcels in the back.
A short time later a resident spotted a man and woman entering a boarded-up derelict property on Silk Mill Approach in Cookridge, armed with numerous parcels. It is less than two miles from where the van went missing.
When officers arrived, they found the pair inside and arrested them. Over 30 parcels were recovered and returned.
While at the station, homeless Kilmister refused to give a sample of saliva to test him for drugs, then gave a no-comment interview.
He has 34 previous convictions for 82 offences, including dozens for theft. He was on a 12-month suspended sentence for burglary at the time.
He appeared in court over a video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Martin Morrow said Kilmister was capable of living a crime-free life but often relapsed into drug use.
He said he wanted help to conquer his addiction, but had struggled to get help from the Leeds counselling service, Forward Leeds, because of a lengthy waiting list.
Judge Richard Mansell KC opted not to activate his suspended sentence, and gave him a six-month community order.
He also gave him 10 new rehabilitation days with probation. He already has 20 from the suspended sentence.