Black Country man convicted for 157 offences back in court
A criminal with convictions for 157 offences landed himself in court again for stealing mobile phones and then selling them at a pub in the same road as the store – and was told by a judge: "You are not a very good crook".
Adrian Corns's list of convictions stretched back to 1982, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
His latest appearance at court came after he broke into the Phones R Us shop on Stafford Street in Walsall. The 47-year-old broke the shop window and made off with six mobile phones worth around £600 in total during the August 26 raid.
Once the manager spotted the break-in the same night, inquiries by officers and neighbours quickly located Corns – selling them in The Five Star pub on the same road.
Most of the phones were recovered. Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said Corns, of Stafford Road, Walsall, had been seen leaving the scene with a rucksack.
At the time of the break-in, Corns was still the subject of a 12-month community order imposed on February 28 by magistrates for a theft. He was also subject to another suspended sentence of eight weeks, for theft and breaching an earlier conditional discharge, which followed a third theft.
Passing sentence, Judge Eades said: "You have 62 convictions for 157 offences. I dare say you are getting rather bored of coming before the courts.
"You are not a very good crook. You commit low-level crime and you seem to get caught on a regular basis."
Corns pleaded guilty to one count of burglary at an earlier hearing.
Judge Mark Eades sentenced Corns to 11 months in total, including eight months for the latest break-in at Phones R Us. Corns was also ordered to pay a surcharge.
Mr Paul Hiatt, defending, said his client had been drinking between six and eight cans of lager daily and used to take heroin but had made progress in jail with 14 consecutive negative drugs tests. He had also completed a series of courses and had plans to leave the area and stay off drugs.
