Burglar caught red-handed is jailed (From York Press)

Burglar caught red-handed is jailed

4:19pm Thursday 10th May 2012 in News

A BURGLAR has been jailed - just a day after he broke into a York office and stole computer equipment.

Katherine Reeve, prosecuting, told York magistrates Robert Edeson, 30, raided Aecom on George Cayley Drive, Clifton Moor in the early hours of Wednesday.

He was still in the area and a burglar alarm was still ringing when police spotted him nearby and stopped him because he aroused their suspicions.

He had with him a rucksack from the business containing three laptops and a computer hard-drive which he had also stolen from the business.

Edeson, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary and was given a 20-week prison sentence.

His solicitor Craig Robertson said the burglary was a “smash and grab” one that was opportunistic.

Edeson was “living in a hole in the ground with a tarpaulin” over it on Clifton Backies because he had nowhere else to go.

He was on a methadone prescription, but was also taking drugs on top of that. Because of his lifestyle, he and his family felt the best place for him to be was behind bars.