Burglar broke through walls
Jun 4 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal
AN AXE-WIELDING burglar hacked his way through a wall to ransack two homes and steal piles of already- wrapped Christmas presents, a court heard yesterday.
Jason Kane, 37, broke into two adjacent properties in Cobden Street, Deckham, Gateshead, just days before Christmas last year.
Having forced his way through the back door of one of the houses, he stole valuable presents including games, CDs, DVDs, mobile phones and even house ornaments. Not content with that, he then used a screwdriver and an axe to smash a huge hole in a dividing wall and walked through to next door.
Kane’s stealing spree continued as he snatched similar goods, before driving away a Vauxhall Corsa which was later recovered outside his home.
When police raided his Gateshead home they found the majority of the stolen goods in his attic.
Yesterday, at Newcastle Crown Court, Kane, of Humber Gardens, Deckham, was given a three-and-a-half year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary.
Victim Julie Williams, 33, yesterday told of her anger at the violence involved in the attack on the house she shares with Leanne Hill, 34.
Next door neighbour Nicola Brook, 26, was also present at yesterday’s court hearing to see Kane sentenced.
Ms Williams said: “We are pleased with the outcome. The damage was ridiculous and he didn’t just break in, he hit holes in walls in the bedrooms.
“There were holes all over. They were all along the wall so it was clearly very violent.
“He caused thousands of pounds of damage. It was a horrible experience, absolutely horrendous.
“It was four days before Christmas so we didn’t even have time to replace the presents.”
Caroline Goodwin, prosecuting, yesterday noted the particularly cruel nature of the attack and said the women were shocked that a burglar had wandered round their homes wielding an axe and going through their belongings.
She said: “This was a particularly mean-spirited offence. It was a scene of utter devastation with plaster and rubble where the wall was smashed through.”
Passing sentence, Recorder Peter Jackson, said the nature of Kane’s attack and his extensive list of previous convictions – which dated back as far as 1983 – meant he was reluctant to give him a minimum sentence.
