A Carlisle man who stole a tracksuit during a city burglary which he was seen wearing days after the crime has been given a prison sentence.
Heavily convicted Kane Queen, 30, had briefly been resident at a Warwick Road address where recovering addicts are given support and accommodation.
Queen dropped out of the programme and, Carlisle Crown Court heard today returned to crime when he went back to the Warwick Road property on April 30.
“That gives him knowledge of the premises,” said prosecutor Brendan Burke of Queen’s short stay at the address in question. “And, more importantly, timetables; knowing when meetings are; when the premises will be empty because everyone is at a therapy meeting.”
Two residents returned to the house and noted that clothing, aftershave and watches had been stolen after Queen sneaked inside.
“In fact it was clothing which was the trigger for interest in this defendant,” said Mr Burke.
“(One resident) saw him on May 18 with the tracksuit stolen from him in the burglary. He then informed the police of his suspicions. CCTV was then looked at and this defendant was identified on it.”
While in custody, Queen then delivered racial abuse to a shocked police officer.
In January this year, he had smashed his way through the front door of Carlisle’s Co-op store in Denton Street in the dead of night before stealing £40-worth of alcohol.
When brought to court, he admitted two burglaries, a racially aggravated public order charge and was in breach of two conditional discharges previously imposed for other thefts.
The court heard he had 73 offences to his name, including a string of burglaries, and had once again triggered a mandatory three-year jail term for repeat offending.
Defence barrister Verity Quaite, conceded Queen had an appalling criminal record. She spoke of significant trauma in his earlier life, and of a downward spiral and crack cocaine use following one of several more recent bereavements.
Recorder Anesta Weekes KC imposed a total prison sentence of 29 months, giving Queen a discount for his guilty pleas.
