Burglar's blood found after he broke into church and stole £6,000 worth of equipment, Leeds Crown Court told

Mark Wright smashed his way into the Zion Christian Centre in Stanley, Wakefield, via a ground-floor window in the early hours of April 26, 2019 and ransacked the building, taking a twin-deck CD recorder, a cassette recorder, a reverb unit, microphone, monitor and projector.

He was brought before Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted a charge of burglary, among other more recent offences.

Prosecutor Jade Edwards said Wright stashed the equipment a short distance away after leaving the Aberford Road church.

Crime scene investigators found his blood on a microphone case.

The property was recovered and during his police interview Wright claimed that he had followed a suspicious man to the church and confronted him when he saw him breaking in, cutting himself during the melee that followed.

He later admitted the break in.

Held on remand, 40-year-old Wright, of Ambient Street, Wakefield, appeared in court via a video link from HMP Leeds this week alongside a co-defendant, 34-year-old Brian Walton.

The pair were jointly charged with a burglary on an 82-year-old’s home on February 11 this year.

Carrying bags of stolen washing tablets, they went to a block of flats on Sparable Lane to sell them, but buzzed the wrong flat on the intercom.

They found themselves in the home of the pensioner, who ordered them to leave when they realised there was a mix up.

However, before they left, they stole the man’s leather wallet containing his bank cards.

They then used the cards to make purchases at shops including Tesco, off licences and Cash Converters.

They were caught on CCTV and later arrested.

Walton, of Emblem Terrace, Wakefield, gave no comment.

Wright told police he had been taking sleeping pills that day and could not remember because he was “off his head”.

They both admitted charges of burglary and fraud by false representation. Wright also admitted theft of the washing tablets from Wilko in Wakefield.

Wright has committed eight previous offences, while Walton has 41 offences to his name, including thefts and burglaries.

Mitigating, Chris Moran said Walton told him: “I was not in a good place, I was on heroin and had no job or income.

"I’m very sorry and I’m going to give life a good go now. I’m sorry this had to happen for me to realise.”

Mr Moran added: “He has somewhat turned a corner in his life, even though it is at a late stage. There’s a degree of remorse for what he has done.”

Abdul Shakoor, mitigating for Wright, said his client knew a custodial sentence was inevitable, and that he fully accepted he was guilty.

He said that Wright had come off drugs and was clean for nearly a decade, but after finding his brother’s body after he hanged himself he turned back to illegal substances.

The judge, Recorder Andrew Haslam KC, gave Walton for 32 months’ jail, and Wright 41 months.