Gainsborough burglar was caught with bank card 30 minutes after it was stolen
A Gainsborough man who is currently serving a prison sentence for burglary was caught buying lunch with a bank card that had just been stolen in a burglary, magistrates have heard.
Cliff Bunch spent £16 in a chip shop in Newark before he was found at around 12.30pm on November 19, said Becky Allsop, prosecuting.
The owner of the card had left his home at 8am and the burglary was discovered by his cleaner at 12pm.
The court heard Bunch has 28 previous convictions for 45 offences, 19 of which are for theft and related crimes.
Bunch was jailed for two years and four months for a dwelling burglary in January and has been recalled twice. He will be released next month.
Nikki Carlisle, mitigating, said he deserved credit for entering his early guilty plea.
“He is just charged with use of the bank card,” she said. “I would submit this is an opportunistic offence. Someone has given him the card and said, "Let's go and get some food."
“Of course this is aggravated by his previous convictions. Prior to his recall he had been struggling with his mental health. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He wasn't on his usual medication.
"He was struggling to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. He was not in a good place. His behaviour was impulsive and he made the unfortunate decision to commit this offence.”
Bunch, 30, of Salisbury Street, Gainsborough, admitted fraud by false representation when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court.
He was fined £120 with a £48 surcharge and £85 costs.