A Carlisle burglar who was caught red-handed and left damning DNA on gloves discarded at the scene before fleeing has been jailed for a year.
Heavily-convicted Raymond Light, 51, sneaked into the back yard of a woman’s Chiswick Street home after she left to walk a dog at 7-20am on December 9 last year.
When she returned 20 minutes later, she found a previously closed gate was open, as was the door of an outbuilding. After seeing Light leaning over a bike, she screamed at him to “get out”, Carlisle Crown Court was told today.
Light leapt up and ran out of the yard but not before, said prosecutor Andrew Evans, “leaving behind a pair of gloves. DNA found on them matched the defendant’s.” There had also been a bid to cut through a bike lock.
Mr Evans also outlined Light’s criminal record, which featured 265 previous offences and, Recorder Mark Ainsworth noted, ran to 36 separate pages. There were many for burglary between 1985 and 2006, but thereafter there had been a “sea change”, the court heard, with Light’s criminal activity since then chiefly comprising thefts and court order breaches.
Light’s barrister, Anthony Parkinson, said there was a degree of motivation by him to mend his ways.
Summarising, Mr Parkinson conceded Light had a “terrible record” and could have no complaints if sent to prison. However, he had recently provided two clean class A drug tests; there was an indication of positive progress; and admissions made in a police interview were illustrative of his remorse, said the barrister.
But Recorder Ainsworth concluded the appropriate level of punishment could only be achieved with an immediate prison sentence. He jailed Light, of Peel Street, Carlisle, for 12 months.
“It must have been terrifying,” said Recorder Ainsworth of the woman’s experience. “It must have been a shock (for Light) to be found halfway through an offence but that’s not my concern. It is more the impact on the householder.”
The judge told Light: “You have an appalling record. Over the years those who work in these courts see all sorts of cases. It is rare that I have seen a case where a person has been before the court in respect of 265 separate offences.”
