Northampton judge jails burglar who's clocked up 100 offences over 30 years

A would-be burglar who tried the doors to someone’s house and car has been jailed after a court heard he’s made a career out of his crimes.

Now Robert John Moore is back behind bars after a judge was told of his long criminal history dating back thirty years.

Northampton Crown Court heard, on August 5, how the 47-year-old had been caught on CCTV trying the locked patio door of a house and the car sitting in its driveway at 3.20am on June 22.

Officers immediately recognised the serial thief, of Kilnway, Wellingborough, and arrested him. He was charged with one count of attempted burglary and one of attempted vehicle interference.

Prosecuting, Quiana Fitzpatrick said that Moore had 26 convictions for 104 offences, adding: “(His offending) started in 1992 and it’s not ever ended.

Mitigating for Moore, higher court advocate Will Heyward said: "It’s fair to say he’s a career criminal.”

He said Moore had been released on licence from prison in March this year for a previous burglary and was recovering from a serious drug addiction.

In May 2021 he was jailed for stealing £500 in coins from a money jar and a mountain bike.

His Honour Judge David Herbert QC said: “You were out on a burgling trip that night. You didn’t get in, but nevertheless this is a serious offence.

“Your case is significantly aggravated by numerous convictions for burglary over a period of nearly 30 years.”

Moore was told his sentence would have been three years but was reduced to two to take account of his early guilty plea.