Sunderland burglar caused £27,000 damage to homes, including flooding them with water

A burglar who caused more than £27,000 damage when he targeted pipework and heating systems in homes undergoing renovation works has been put behind bars.

Ethan Watson, smashed windows and glass panels to get into the unoccupied properties then made-off with sinks, taps, boilers, radiators and copper pipes.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 21-year-old caused substantial damage to the houses, including by flooding them with water that gushed from the disrupted heating systems.

Watson, of Brick Garth, Easington Lane, was tracked down after leaving blood at the scene of two of his crimes and arrested.

He has now been locked up for 18 months after he admitted six counts of non-dwelling burglary, one of attempted burglary and one of criminal damage.

Judge Edward Bindloss told him: "More than £27,000 was the cost of the damage and for what was stolen. Bernicia [owner of four of the properties] are a social landlord with charitable status.

"So, it affected not just the owners of the properties but the contractors, those who stand to benefit from the charity, future tenants and the local community.

"There was a delay to building work, costs, rental losses and disruption and annoyance."

The court heard Watson first targeted the same address on Thames Street, in Easington Lane, on January 13 and February 11 and 23, 2021.

On one of those occasions he was unsuccessful in gaining entry but, on the other two, he smashed windows and made off with tools and copper pipework.

Joe Culley, prosecuting, said £1,000 was the repair bill for that property due to water damage as a result of the pipework being removed. He was later identified from CCTV on a neighbouring property and arrested.

However, more than a year later in June 2022, Watson struck again, this time at flats on Tower Court, in Easington Lane.

Mr Culley said: "On June 10, a manager at Bernicia was at Tower Court at a ground floor flat and she could see from the street that everything was secure.

"Just before 11am on June 15, she took a call from a joiner who reported to her about a break-in at the flat. A window had been damaged.

"On inspection of the whole property, it was apparent it had been stripped of its central heating system and piping. Strips of flooring had been removed to get to more piping."

The court heard that radiators and the boiler had also been taken but Watson had clumsily left blood on a window pane.

Three months later, in September 2022, Watson targeted the same property, as well as three neighbouring flats, and stole heating systems, taps, sinks, boilers and copper pipework. On that occasion, water caused the ceilings of two addresses to collapse.

Mr Culley added: "Crime scene investigators attended and blood swabs were taken from one flat, which matched the defendant's. He was arrested as a result of that."

Katie Spence, defending, said Watson only had two past convictions, was only 18 at the time of three of the burglaries and had pleaded guilty.

She added: "He was at the beginning of a drug addiction. It was desperate offending to get scrap metal for him to sell to feed his addiction."

The court heard that, since being in prison in remand, Watson had now kicked his addiction.