Homeless metal thief jailed after leaving trail of blood behind at building
A HOMELESS man who ripped out a central heating system, causing a dangerous gas leak, told police he broke into the property to keep warm.
Vladimir Ilavsky, aged 57, burgled the five-floor terraced property in Albion Place, Derngate, Northampton on Friday, April 1 but when he tore the copper piping from the walls, he left his blood behind as the building filled with gas.
Northampton Crown Court heard Ilavsky, from Slovakia, was linked to the break-in by his DNA from the trail of blood he left throughout the property.
Rebecca Wade, prosecuting, said the business premises was being converted to a residential building.
She said: “The builders left the premises locked and secured before leaving there. They contacted the owner say all was in order but on April 1, the owner received an anonymous phone call, stating a smell of gas was coming from the premises.”
A ground floor rear window had been forced open and copper piping ripped from the walls. The building was made safe by a gas engineer and required £7,800 of repairs to install a new boiler and pipe work.
Miss Wade said that when police arrested Ilavsky, having identified him from his DNA, he told them he was homeless and occasionally broke into buildings in order to find a warm place to sleep.
Judge Richard Bray said: “He’s not going to keep warm by ripping out the central heating and I don’t think copper piping would make for a comfortable bed. It was stolen for quite some other reason not unconnected with (metal prices) in the Far East.”
Ilavsky, formerly of Countess Road, Spencer, Northampton, pleaded guilty to burglary as well as going equipped for theft and the theft of copper wiring. Having been released on bail for the burglary, officers then stopped him in Henry Bird Way, Southbridge on November 3.
Ilavsky was carrying a rucksack containing gloves, wire cutters and strippers and stolen copper wire.
Judge Bray sentenced him to a total of 28 months’ imprisonment which means Ilavsky could be deported upon his release from prison. However, Maxine Krone, defending, said that as Slovakia is an EU member nation, there would be no bar to him re-entering the UK.
Sentencing, the judge said: “This was an extensive quantity of copper piping. This was a totally reckless act.
“This is yet another case of stealing metal piping. These cases are prevalent now throughout the country. Sentences must now be adapted to deal with this problem.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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