Teenage Telford burglar gets 10 months

Ashley Cummings, 19, of Catherton, Stirchley, donned black clothes including a hat and gloves in the middle of summer before getting into houses and stealing money, mobile phones and computers.

His victims said they now felt unsafe in their own homes.

Cummings was told by Judge Peter Barrie yesterday that he would serve half of his sentence in a young offenders institute before his release on licence.

A 17-year old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a 12 months referral order after admitting attempted burglary. He was seen in a black balaclava, peering in through the window of a house. The judge heard that he had been on bail awaiting sentence with an electronic tag for 17 days.

Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told the court that in April last year, Cummings entered two properties in Wellington. In one was sleeping a couple and their six-year-old and eight-week-old children. He stole mobile phones, a computer tablet, £30 cash and other items including digital photographs of the children.

In the other he stole about £380.

He was arrested and granted bail, Mr Jones said.

But while on bail he committed a further burglary on July 9. This time he was seen wearing black clothing including a neck warmer, hat and gloves.

Stolen from a house in Wellington was a mobile phone and other valuables.

"Some of the items were retrieved when they were discovered, discarded, by a schoolgirl who was able to return them," Mr Jones said.

He said that Cummings and a juvenile were discovered nearby and arrested.

The householder in a victim impact statement said: "I now feel vulnerable in my own property. I don't feel safe in my own home any more and I feel angry that I feel like this."

Mr Michael Sherwood-Smith for Cummings, said that his client had committed the offences to help out his mother, who had been in financial difficulties.

He said Cummings had not been in trouble for three years and had show that he could behave in his teenage years.

"He has shown that he is able to stick to a community sentence and would do so again, if he was given the chance of a suspended prison sentence," Mr Sherwood Smith said.

Judge Barrie said that Cummings had committed one burglary whilst on bail and said that an aggravating feature had been taking along a juvenile with him.

"I can only impose an immediate custodial sentence," he said.