Disgusting Leeds burglar left his faeces as 'calling card'

Damien Allen Robinson carried out a spate of break-ins, including at a medical centre and St James’ Hospital, and would sometimes leave his disgusting ‘calling card’, prosecutor Tom Jackson told Leeds Crown Court.

Held on remand at HMP Leeds, the 31-year-old appeared in court via video link where he admitted eight non-dwelling burglaries, a charge of fraud and for failing to provide a sample for drug testing.

Mr Jackson said Robinson was heavily convicted with more than 37 burglaries on his record already.

He said Robinson targeted Colton Mill Medical Centre in Colton on April 17, entering via an emergency exit and stealing a petty cash tin containing £313. He was seen on CCTV.

On June 17 he broke into Holden Smith Law at Cross Gates and took two laptops worth £650, but also ate food he found at the scene.

However, he then left a pile of his own faeces on the floor, for which Mr Jackson said “became somewhat of a calling card”.

Again CCTV picked him up entering the building.

Five days later on June 22 he broke into Wates Construction on Wellington Place in Leeds, taking a mobile phone and two iPads.

On June 26 he sneaked into St James’ Hospital and stole a laptop, headphones, credit card and cash which belonged to a surgeon working a night shift.

Robinson then used the credit card to buy cigarettes at Mena Foods on Lincoln Green Road, but the shop worker became suspicious and Robinson ran from the store.

This was followed by a break-in at a charity shop on Shaftesbury Parade in Leeds on June 27 where he stole a still containing £50, and Munro House on Duke Street the next day from which he took a £6,000 bicycle.

In the early hours of July 2, he broke into building site on Cookridge Street using a screwdriver. He took a phone, two tablets and a laptop, before defecating on the floor.

On the same day, a witness spotted him smashing a window at The Chicken Shop on The Headrow and crawling inside.

Police caught up with him a short time later still in possession of the items he stole from Cookridge Street.

Robinson, of no fixed address, then refused to take the drugs test at the police station.

While also having a lengthy criminal record, Mr Jackson said the break-ins were aggravated by the “gratuitous soiling” of some of the properties.

Mitigating, Philip Morris told the court: “It’s demonstrative of a very chaotic lifestyle.

"There’s some drug misuse but not necessarily at an addictive level. He leads a transient lifestyle.

"He sees the impending sentence as a means of drawing a line under this.”

Jailing him for two years and four months, the Recorder of Leeds, Guy Kearl QC, said: “You are heavily convicted for non-dwelling burglaries, and it’s been going on for some time.

"You left faeces, which is a disgusting thing to do.”