Bumbling thief jailed again after yet another burglary
PROLIFIC CRIMINAL TAMS OUT OF PRISON FOR 10 DAYS BEFORE HIS LATEST CRIME
Court Reporter SERIAL raider Charles Tams is back behind bars after carrying out his 32nd burglary – just after being released from a previous lengthy prison sentence.
The 37-year-old had only been a free man for 10 days when he struck again at a city centre shop, stealing cigarettes worth £11,000 and hundreds of pounds of chocolate and cash.
But he was soon arrested when a vigilant member of the public spotted him making off with his haul and police caught him redhanded.
Now a judge, who said he has never encountered as bad a record for burglary, has sent him back to prison for 12 months.
Recorder Bernard Gateshill told Tams: “Mr Tams, you were released from your last sentence ten days before you went on to commit this new offence.
“That last sentence, which was 52 months in length, was committed a week after your release from the sentence before that.
“You have the most appalling record for offences of burglary.
“This is your 32nd court appearance for offences of burglary and you have served a series of different sentences, usually custodial sentences.”
The court heard the latest break-in happened at the Best-One Xpress shop, on St Andrew’s Street, Newcastle, around 6.25am on November 25. He was captured on CCTV helping himself to £11,000 of cigarettes, £400 of chocolate and more than £800 of cash and also caused more than £3,000 of damage to the shop. Prosecutor David Crook said: “A member of the public saw him acting suspiciously, police were alerted and the defendant was arrested. “He was found to have a significant amount of cash on him and the property was recovered in bin liners close by.” Recorder Bernard Gateshill
The CCTV footage showed he had poured liquid over the camera system hard drive to try to get rid of the evidence.
Tams, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to a non-dwelling burglary.
Barry Robson, defending, said: “This happened on impulse.
“His partner is pregnant and he is desperate to be with her.
“His best mitigation is his guilty plea. It was an unsophisticated commercial burglary.”