Man found with stolen laptop is jailed

A thief who picked up a laptop dropped by looters after they ransacked a Wolverhampton city centre shop during the summer riots has been jailed for eight months.

Police spotted Jon Macdonald in Walsall among a group of men carrying computers just a few hours after the trouble. Officers gave chase, eventually catching up with 23-year-old Macdonald and arresting him.

Prosecuting, Mr Warren Stanier told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that Macdonald had found the laptop on the ground.

He said:?"After his arrest he said that he had found the item on the ground by a smashed up store and knew he should not have taken it, although he had not entered the store."

A trawl through CCTV images of the disturbance had not shown him to be involved in any of the trouble on August 9, the court heard.

It was impossible to identify which store the damaged lap top had been stolen from, added Mr Stanier.

Miss Sarah Hurd, defending Macdonald, who had no previous convictions, said: "He is a young man who took a wrong decision that will have serious consequences for him. He accepts that he was foolish even to be in the area."

Macdonald from Birch Crescent, Tividale admitted theft by finding and was jailed by Judge Michael Challinor who told him: "Widespread rioting took place in Wolverhampton and the scale of public disorder here was serious and damaging. Many shops were looted, considerable police resources were expended, businesses damaged and citizens terrified.

"You were intrigued by news of the violence, went to the scene to see some of the looting and helped yourself to a computer. It was opportunist but you still knew what had been going on and contributed to the overall loss to businesses in the area.

"The offence was seriously aggravated by its proximity to rioting and disorder and an element of deterrent must be included in the sentence."