Telford career criminals told to turn their lives around

Jason Christopher Rixon, 38, and Nicholas David James Johnson, 31, had spent years going "in and out" of prison before they stole power tools from a house and caravan in Telford, on August 27.

Just 11 days before the break-in, in Haybridge Road, Hadley, Johnson had been in court over an attempted burglary, for which he received a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

And by committing the Haybridge Road burglary, Rixon was in breach of a conditional discharge he received in February for the opportunist theft of a mobile phone he saw on a table in McDonald's.

Johnson, of Manor Road, Hadley, had clocked up 17 convictions for 46 offences and several prison terms for multiple burglaries, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

His partner in crime, of King Street, Dawley, had 34 convictions for a string of 106 offences dating back to 1993. He was jailed for wounding and assault in 1999.

"He has the kind of record consistent with someone with a drug habit," said Judge Robin Onions. The court heard Rixon had beaten his drug habit and wanted to train to become a counsellor and serve as a role model for his nine siblings and 30 nieces and nephews.

Johnson had been taking heroine since the age of 13, the court was told. Judge Onions said: "He is going to have to show that he can do something with his life or run the risk of becoming institutionalised and spend the rest of his life locked up."

Sentencing he told the pair: "It's tempting to write you off as career criminals but I am . . . hoping there's something in you still to prompt you to leading a better life."

Rixon was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for the burglary and eight weeks for breach of the conditional discharge to run consecutively. Johnson received 26 weeks for the burglary and another 26 weeks for the attempted burglary for which he had a suspended term, to run consecutively.