Thief ordered to pay £760 compensation despite having no recollection of stealing from a car in Sunderland street

Michael Taylor, 24, of Hume Street, Millfield, Sunderland, could not remember pinching from the white Berlingo motor overnight on Tuesday, October 1, a court heard.

And his memory was not jogged when police showed him images of his crime in Aiskell Street, Sunderland – though he did accept responsibility.

Jobless Taylor swiped data header and card reader devices from the vehicle which cost the owner £650 to replace, magistrates in South Tyneside were told.

The goods were got rid of without financial gain by one of Taylor’s relatives when they realised the items were stolen and wished nothing to do with them.

Prosecutor Kirstie Devine said a further £110 of damage was caused by Taylor to the car, for which the court also ordered he pay recompense.

She said: “[The victim] explains that on October 1 he left his vehicle parked outside his home address, locked and secure.

“He was notified on October 2 that the vehicle had been broken into and the offside window was smashed.

“In terms of the impact of the offences, [the victim] lost three days’ wages and also had to replace the items.”

The court heard Taylor has 16 previous convictions from 24 offences, including vehicle interference in 2016 and theft from a car in 2018, for which he was jailed.

Paul McAlindon, defending, said: “I’m sure you will give Mr Taylor credit for his early guilty plea.

“He says he has no recollection of why he did it, but he accepts that he’s the person shown on the footage.

“He is a man who has some learning difficulties, which means he’s not fit to work.

“He says that he didn’t profit from the offence, in that the items weren’t sold by him.

“The items were got rid of when it was realised what he had done.

“He doesn’t have a drug problem. He can’t offer any great explanation why he did this.”

Taylor was also fined £200 for the admitted criminal damage offence and £80 for the theft from a vehicle, to which he also pleaded guilty.

There were no court costs.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.