A Workington mum who sneaked into a town home while the occupants were asleep and stole a laptop has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Billyjo McKay, 26, was exploited by two men while under the influence of alcohol when she committed the crime, on May 12 last year, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
Two men — one since caught and prosecuted, and the other unidentified — had been going around committing offences, or attempting to commit them, at that time.
McKay had then become involved with video footage showing her clothed for a night out, wearing a short black dress, sandals and carrying a handbag.
She appeared unsteady on her feet and had earlier been ejected from one licensed premises before the burglary on Rydal Street.
“She attended the property with the two other men, said prosecuting barrister Tariq Khawam. “She was the only one who could fit through the window.”
Once inside, and as one of the men held her handbag, McKay took a laptop which she passed outside. This was placed at the rear of a vehicle and then collected before the group left the scene.
One occupant of the home had provided an impact statement after the break-in. “She describes feeling panicked and worried,” said Mr Khawam, “and says she cannot understand how anybody would think it acceptable to enter the property and steal items from her home.”
McKay, who left fingerprint evidence at the crime scene, admitted burglary and was sentenced today.
Defence lawyer Mark Shepherd, mitigating, accepted McKay, of Udale Court, Workington, was involved and guilty of the offence.
“She was exploited as a result of her alcohol consumption,” explained Mr Shepherd. “She was in a vulnerable and dishevelled state at the time. She was, I would submit, exploited and taken advantage of. Clearly one of the males did not want to go inside the property. She did. She regrets it bitterly.
“This wasn’t a situation where she went right the way through the house and through the bedrooms. I would submit there was relatively limited intrusion. Fortunately the laptop did not contain sensitive data that could be obtained.”
McKay, added the lawyer, was deemed a highly valued and trusted worker by her employer whose glowing reference was a million miles from the person who is seen on the (burglary) footage and has pleaded guilty to this offence.
After hearing mitigation, the sentencing judge, Recorder Julian Shaw, suspended a 15-month prison term for two years.
McKay must complete 120 hours’ unpaid work and an 80-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.
Recorder Shaw told her: “You know, and don’t need me to tell you, that getting involved in burgling people’s houses is completely unacceptable behaviour which in the ordinary course of events clearly crosses the custody threshold.”
