Drugged-up serial burglar is put behind bars after he struck at two South Yorkshire properties

A booze and drug-fuelled serial burglar has been jailed after he struck at a garage and a house during the same morning.
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Michael Morton, aged 44, of Chestnut Grove, Conisbrough, between Rotherham and Doncaster, raided a garage on Sheffield Road, Conisbrough, before he was caught trying to burgle a home on nearby Ellershaw Road, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

Amy Earnshaw, prosecuting, told the hearing on March 9 that an occupant at the Sheffield Road property woke to see the defendant coming from a sidegate at about 6.30am and he found his garage had been burgled and ransacked.

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Ms Earnshaw added that only 15 minutes later another resident at Ellershaw Road saw Morton walking from an annex at his home and he had a screwdriver and a hammer and he challenged him before the defendant ran away.

Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a booze and drug-fuelled burglar has been jailed after he struck at two South Yorkshire properties.Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a booze and drug-fuelled burglar has been jailed after he struck at two South Yorkshire properties.
Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a booze and drug-fuelled burglar has been jailed after he struck at two South Yorkshire properties.

Recorder David Gordon told Morton: “You have 24 convictions for 44 offences. A great many of those offences over the years are acquisitive crimes – stealing, burglary, that kind of thing – and no doubt that offending has been mostly connected with your long-term difficulties with class A drugs.”

Morton stole a wheel lock spinner during the garage raid and tools had been found bagged up ready to be taken, according to Ms Earnshaw, and during the attempted burglary a downstairs’ window was found with damage caused by a screwdriver.

The defendant, who has previous convictions for burglaries and thefts, pleaded guilty to a non-dwelling burglary, an attempted burglary and to going equipped in connection with a burglary after the offences on February 21, 2020.

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Rebecca Tanner, defending, said Morton had consumed alcohol and sleeping tablets and does not have a clear recollection of what happened but fortunately he was not able to steal anything of great value.

She added Morton has had addiction issues but he has engaged with the drug support services and he is now receiving methadone and is abstaining from drugs.

Recorder Gordon told Morton: “There really is no excuse. It’s said you had no recollection of the matter in question because you were clearly under the influence of some substance. I regard that as an aggravating feature.”

He sentenced Morton to 27 months of custody.

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