A debtor who broke into his cousin’s home to steal gold, melted it down and sold it for a fraction of its worth.
Niamul Haque, 23, knew where his 31-year-old relative kept his valuables and had a key to the house, so let himself in.
Michael Waterfield, prosecuting at Northampton Crown Court, said: “The complainant kept gold and jewellery in a bag in a kitchen cupboard and left the house at 2pm on Tuesday, August 28, and by 1pm the next day, some of it was missing. There was no sign of forced entry.”
Haque had stolen 30 grams of gold, worth about £7,000, which was melted down.
It was then sold for £630 at Hatton’s Goldsmith in the Weston Favell Centre, which he paid into his bank account.
Haque, of North Priors Court, Lings, Northampton, admitted to burglary and converting criminal property.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for a year, with supervision, 100 hours’ unpaid work and must attend a thinking skills course.
Richard Holloway, mitigating, said: “How he was driven to this is not one of those classic drug or alcohol scenarios, or even greed.
“He was effectively worn down by debt. He was too ashamed to ask his family to bail him out.”