A MAN who ripped out a boiler from a nearby unoccupied property was unable to make gain from his theft through a lack of local contacts.

Durham Crown Court heard that at least a fortnight after Justin Gary Brookes stole the £1,600-worth boiler from an empty house, three doors away in Shildon, police called at his home in Dent Street, on June 8.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said Brookes’ immediate response when officers entered was: “Is it the boiler you have come for? It’s upstairs.”

The boiler was recovered intact, but the letting agent owning the property from where it was taken told police a lot of damage was caused when it was removed, while it had to be replaced at a cost.

Mr Dryden said he agent was unable to rent out the house, causing further loss.

Brookes, 24, now of All Saints Road, Shildon, admitted burglary.

The sentencing hearing was told he has 12 convictions for 26 offences, including one previous burglary.

John Turner, mitigating, told the court that Brookes hails from the Bournemouth area in Dorset, but fell in with a bad crowd and amassed those previous convictions, while dabbling with drugs.

His mother moved North and persuaded her son to follow, to detach him from those negative influences.

Mr Turner said Brookes came to live in his mother’s former home in Shildon with his girlfriend, who is more of a positive influence on him and he no longer uses drugs.

Brookes, however, was on Universal Credit and built up a £280 overdraft, but he was aware the house three doors away was empty.

He got in via an open window and used a wrench found in the unoccupied home to remove the boiler.

“The letting agent said the burglary happened some time before May 25 and yet, when police called at the defendant’s home, on June 8, the stolen boiler was still in his bedroom as he did not know how he was going to get rid of it, as he doesn’t know many people in Shildon.

“In many ways, it was a futile thing to do,” added Mr Turner.

Judge Christopher Prince said although the crime, “crosses the custody threshold”, in this case he could deal with it by way of a one-year community order, during which Brookes must undergo 12 probation-supervised rehabilitation activity days and perform 100-hours’ unpaid work.