A THIEF who stole hundreds of pounds from a city takeaway has been handed a six-month prison sentence.
James Marson, who appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court last Friday (June 13) via video-link, had been remanded in custody at HMP Hewell, Redditch, for two charges of assault when this offence came to light.
The 36-year-old broke into Pizza Co on Blockhouse Close overnight on May 9 and 10 by smashing a small window and went on to take about £600 from the till and a metal unit, the court heard.
The amount of money stolen is disputed by the owner, who claimed £1,700 had been taken in cash and coins.
Officers were called the following morning and attended the fast-food parlour, where they took a swab of blood from the broken window and linked it to the defendant.
The court also heard how Marson has been charged with a string of burglaries in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
Defending solicitor Mark Turnbull said: “He accepts he took a quantity of cash but there are certain estimations involved.
“What he can clearly say is it’s nowhere near the £1,700 that he’s accused of, simply because he can’t carry that amount of coins.
“He is realistic enough to know how this matter will result and doesn’t seek to drag it out. There was no prior planning it was a simple issue of a financial gain for himself.”
District Judge Nigel Cadbury added: “It may not be sophisticated but I’m sure that you targeted somewhere you guessed would have cash lying around.
“You have got a very poor record in the recent past for burglary and it’s clear you are a regular burglary. You may not have been sophisticated in the way you tried this but you still went about it in a serious way.”
