A DRUG addict who burgled some of a city’s institutions has walked free from court, despite admitting 31 offences.
Career criminal John Peter James raided Durham Cathedral buildings, Durham University colleges and sports centre, Durham Students’ Union and Houghall College, a court heard yesterday.
Durham’s civic church, the private Durham School, two comprehensives, a sixth form centre, the Fallen Angel hotel and Oldfield’s restaurant were also targeted.
After being arrested in February, James drove around with police officers pointing out buildings he had targeted.
At Durham Crown Court yesterday, James admitted two burglaries and asked for a further 29 to be taken into account.
With 44 burglaries, including 15 of dwellings, already on his record, the admissions took his criminal record to 75 offences.
But, after receiving a letter from James and another from James’ partner, Recorder Neil Davey declined to jail the 29- year-old, saying for the first time in many years there was hope for his future.
He said: “Because of the need to fuel your drug addictions, over the years you have stolen other people’s property on a huge number of occasions.
“There’s no doubt at all about the seriousness of the level of your offending.
“I want to help you break the cycle of addiction, offending, imprisonment.
“It seems at last you’re showing signs of settling down and wanting to put the causes of your addiction behind you.
There does seem to be at least some determination to try to sort yourself out.”
James, of Tate Avenue, Kelloe, near Durham City, had already served six-and-a-half months in prison as his case went through the courts.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months. He was ordered to be under Probation Service supervision for 12 months and complete drug-related crime and drug rehabilitation programmes.
Recorder Davey told him: “This is a glorious opportunity for you, but it’s entirely up to you whether you throw it back in the face of the court.
If you do, you know what happens – you come back to court and are sentenced to longer and longer in jail.” James was arrested on February 16 after being identified on CCTV stealing three laptop computers worth a total of £1,200 from Framwellgate School, Durham, on February 10 and £25 from Kelloe Primary School on February 11, Don McFaul, prosecuting, said.
Caroline Goodwin, for James, said her client was a misguided drug addict who had utterly wasted the best years of his life and was at risk of becoming institutionalised, after serving terms in young offenders’ institutions and prison.
It is known that James burgled: The College at Durham Cathedral, Durham University’s St Mary’s, St John’s and Hatfield colleges and Maiden Castle sports ground, Houghall College, the King’s Lodge and Fallen Angel hotels, Durham Students’ Union’s Dunelm House, Durham School, Durham Johnston School, Framwellgate School Durham, Durham Sixth Form Centre, Durham City Rugby Club, St Nicholas’ Church, Oldfield’s restaurant, Bowburn Junior School, Kelloe Primary School and Anglian Windows.
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