Burglar spared jail after 197th offence

Lee Lynch, aged 52, was previously jailed for 56 weeks for raiding gym lockers at Walsall's Gala Baths where he stole items from the bags of schoolchildren on a swimming lesson.

The crook was also handed a criminal anti-social behaviour order banning him from every gym and leisure centre in the West Midlands.

But following his latest raid on a home in Solihull, the grandad was handed a suspended sentence by a judge in order to help him kick his 37-year drug habit.

Birmingham Crown Court heard the father-of-five had been out of prison for just three weeks last November before he stole a £900 bike which he then tried to sell for three wraps of drugs and a packet of cigarettes.

Lynch, who had 196 previous offences to his name dating back to 1979, walked into a maisonette on Ballard Walk, Kingshurst, on November 26 and emptied a store cupboard of children's toys in order to get to the bike.

He was later caught on CCTV entering his own home on nearby Chilvers Grove with the bike and arrested.

Lynch pleaded guilty to burglary.

But hearing the addict had never received help to kick his drug habit, Judge Nicholas Cole handed Lynch an 18 -month jail term suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation and to attend court every month with a progress report.

Sparing Lynch a further spell behind bars the judge said: "You are a family man with five children and grandchildren.

"The time is going to have to come when you stop offending and it's up to you, to an extent, when that time is.

"My job is to do everything possible that it is sooner rather than later.

"I can only urge upon you to reflect on the example you are setting to your children and grandchildren.

"Bouncing in and out of custody has to come to an end.

"What aggravates the matter is your record of offending; you have 70 previous convictions for 196 offences since 1979.

"I take the view you are a career criminal in the sense of the number of offences, the fact is this is the first for a dwelling house burglary."

Mr John Brotherton, defending, said despite the length of his record Lynch had never been made subject of a drug rehabilitation requirement to help him kick his habit.

He said when Lynch was released in November, following a theft of a projector from a hotel conference suite last August, the addict had no methodone prescription waiting for him.

He told the court: "He is a drug user and has been for a great number of years and it is hard drugs, Class A.

"He is clearly no stranger to custody, he is 52, he knows he has got to sort his life out, he is showing willing."

Ordering Lynch to comply with the court's orders, Judge Cole added: "The court will review your progress.

"You will have this hanging over you, this is not a soft option."