South Yorkshire burglar with 179 convictions 'stole laptops from school'

Police stopped Wayne White's car on November 9, and found £2,400 of electrical items which had been taken from Kelford School, in Kimberworth, over the weekend of November 6 - 10.

He caused £3,000 of damage by breaking windows and forcing open fire doors, said prosecutor Beverly Wright, and his blood was found at the scene.

Everything except for an Apple netbook was returned to the special school which supports 116 children and young people with severe and complex needs.

He was also found with items stolen from Bradgate Motors, on Wortley Road, Rotherham, as well as £643 in cash.

In that burglary a card-reader and other items were taken, along with £490 in wages envelopes.

"In police interview he denied burgling the garage and said a man called Max visited him and gave him the stolen property," said Ms Wright.

His last conviction for burglary was from 2011, she said, adding: "He is a three-strikes burglar if this was a dwelling burglary. The note I have is he is a career criminal."

White has previous convictions for handling stolen goods and received a conditional discharge in October 2019 for damaging a police cell.

Dermot Hughes, mitigating, said most of the goods from the school were recovered.

"It's right to say he's got an awful record. But equally it's right to observe he seems to have done reasonably well on this most recent order.

"He has lost his enthusiasm for offending and more particularly for spending time in prison.

"He would portray himself as someone who lacks intelligence. But he at least has the insight to know he must change his ways.

"He has freed himself of illicit drugs while in prison."

Mr Hughes said that White, who has been on remand since November, began offending after his "methadone script went awry."

White, 48, of Upper Clara Street, Kimberworth, pleaded guilty to the offences at a pre-trial hearing.

Judge Graham Reeds QC sentenced him to 18 months in prison.