Lancaster burglar stole from his neighbours

A man who burgled a resident on the same road as him has been jailed for two years and four months.
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Declan Clarkson, 26, of Coniston Road, Lancaster, broke into a married couple's home on September 29, 2019, and stole goods worth around £140, Preston Crown Court was told.

At the time he was on a prison licence after serving a term for robbery, and has since been recalled to serve the rest of the term in custody.

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Prosecuting, Bob Elias said: "The facts are straightforward.

Crown CourtCrown Court
Crown Court

"The householder retired to bed at 10.30pm. The next morning his wife asked if he had been up in the night.

"He investigated and found the back door unlocked. He checked CCTV on mobile phone and saw one, and possibly two men in the back garden.

" The footage shows a masked man in his garden."

The couple found several items had been stolen including a grey fleece throw, flowery fleece throw, Dexter's Rainbow Dynastix sweets, a Fitbit charger and strap, bluetooth headphones and £20 cash.

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Police identified Clarkson from the footage and when they went to his home to arrest him, they found items stolen in the burglary.

The court heard he committed his first house burglary aged 19

The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham, told him burglary was a disruption to people's lives and that everyone was entitled to feel safe in their own homes.

He added: " The circumstances of this case are that you chose to burgle the house of someone who lived in the same street as you during the course of that time.

"The items stolen were not of great monetary value.

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"But of course burglary is not only about the monetary value of items taken.

"It's more an attack of a person's way of life than it is on their property, and that's why the courts regard these cases as being so serious.

"I note at that time you had a particular need, but I'm sure you appreciate this is no way to go about finding money, however pressing the need."

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