Prolific thief who brought terror to Sunderland businesses jailed

Repeat offender Kevin Wood terrorised local businesses across the city centre with his “reckless and opportunistic actions”.

However, the 46-year-old’s offending ended abruptly on Monday, June 2, when Wood was committing an attempted robbery at a premises in the city centre.

He was spotted by Sunderland’s Neighbourhood Policing team who were quick off the mark and following a brief foot chase, detained Wood – later securing 12 charges including one count of criminal damage, one count of burglary and 10 counts of theft.

Wood, of no fixed abode, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court earlier this month (June), where he was sentenced to a total of 68 weeks behind bars.

Inspector Jamie Southwell, of Sunderland’s Neighbourhood Policing team said: “Burglary is an invasive crime that no one deserves to be the victim of.

“Wood’s careless actions have brought unrest to Sunderland city centre for long enough, so this result is a welcoming one to say the least.”

He added: “It’s thanks to the extensive knowledge of our Neighbourhood Policing teams that we’re able to swiftly identify and trace repeat offenders.

“The intel they build up by being in the heart of the community day in, day out, really is invaluable.

“I hope the outcome of this case will provide the businesses affected by Wood’s offending with some reassurance that we will take action against the likes of Wood and bring them to justice.”