Burglars 'fuelled by drugs' who broke into Hartlepool business centre sentenced at Teesside Magistrates' Court

Keith Gorse, Christopher Raw and John Gray, who had all taken or were “fuelled by drugs” broke into four business at Bovis House in Victoria Road in the early hours of Saturday, April 5.

All three were clearly caught on CCTV looking into units before Raw, 42, launched himself at the door of personalised products business Cauldron of Colours and 3D printing service Phantasm 3D.

They together with Morbidia nail salon and Blinkin Beauty lost thousands of pounds of stock and equipment while the building was also badly damaged.

Gorse, Raw and Gray have now been sentenced at Teesside Magistrates’ Court after each admitted four counts of burglary.

The court heard how the three men had been out that night when one of them said: “I know where there’s a good graft”, referring to the business centre, run by town community interest company The Big League.

Prosecutor Anne Mitchell described how untidy searches were made of the units.

The owners of Cauldron of Colours and Phantasm 3D were alerted by their CCTV camera being activated at around 2.40am.

Ms Mitchell said: “Three people were inside the property having forced their way into multiple doors.”

The court heard Gorse, 46, of Shrewsbury Street, Hartlepool, was “fuelled by consumption of drugs” while Raw was “heavily misusing” crack cocaine at the time.

Gray, 62, of Grange Road, Hartlepool, had also taken tablets and had “little recollection” of the burglary.

He was given the longest prison sentence of 56 weeks, which included 22 weeks of a previously suspended sentence.

Raw, also of Grange Road, was jailed for eight months.

His solicitor, Georgia Wilkinson, said: “He is very remorseful for his actions.”

Gorse, who did not have anything similar on his record, was given a six-month sentence which was suspended for 18 months.

District Judge Stephen Hood said: “There was clear planning between the three of you.”

The men were also ordered to pay a total of £1,300 compensation towards the damage.

Bovis House manager Tom Cook said afterwards: “It’s good that they have been sent down but I think there needs to be more severe consequences to properly deter people from this sort of thing.”