Dad stole from city-centre bar to feed family (From York Press)

David Telford stole from city-centre bar to feed family

7:45am Friday 11th January 2013 in News By Megi Rychlikova, megi.rychlikova@thepress.co.uk

A father has been jailed after he broke into a city-centre bar and stole spirits because he wanted money to feed his children, York Magistrates Court heard.

David Telford was on a suspended prison sentence at the time and pleaded through his solicitor Kevin Blount to keep his freedom so he could help his partner look after their family.

But magistrates said he had had enough chances, ordered him to serve the four-month suspended sentence and added two more months for the burglary.

Telford, 29 of St Wulfstan’s Close, off Fossway, York, pleaded guilty to burglary and asked for four unrelated thefts to be taken into consideration.

Jane Chadwick, prosecuting, said staff at The Graduate in Lendal checked the CCTV after they noticed the burglar alarm had been activated earlier that morning and saw Telford stealing £65.49 worth of spirits from behind the bar. He left his fingerprints behind.

On November 14, York magistrates gave him the suspended prison sentence for stealing a satellite navigation system after he failed to comply with a community order given for the same offence.

Since then, he had stolen an ash tray and cash from a car on December 4 and a suitcase on January 5.

He had also stolen a different satellite navigation system in May 2012 and alcohol from a car in June 2012.

Mr Blount said Telford’s offending was related to his family circumstances.

He and his partner, who suffered from depression, had three small children and Christmas had left them without money.

“His partner was putting pressure on him to get some money, to find some money so they could buy food for their children,” said Mr Blount.

Telford was the full-time carer for his partner and helped her look after the children, the court heard.

He himself was on a methadone prescription because he had a “heroin addiction problem”.