Burnley man jailed after stealing £1,000 from hospice charity shop meant for end-of-life care
A Burnley man who broke into a hospice charity shop and stole £1,000 worth of stock has been jailed.
Ryan Thompson, of Woodbine Road, targeted the Pendleside Hospice shop on Keirby Walk under cover of darkness on January 8,.
He stole items and cash intended to support people with cancer and those receiving end-of-life care.
Officers from the Burnley Neighbourhood Team identified Thompson and arrested him within 24 hours.
He appeared at magistrates’ court on January 10 where he pleaded guilty to burglary.
Thompson was sentenced to 34 weeks in prison, with a further 18 weeks activated from a previous suspended sentence, bringing his total time in custody to 52 weeks.
Police said the swift arrest followed enquiries by neighbourhood officers and the response investigations team.
Inspector Matt Plummer, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Burnley, said: “To target a charity shop which provides money to care for those with cancer or at the end of their lives is deplorable.
“My team will continue to target those who cause misery by committing burglary in the community and bring them before the courts as quickly as we can.”