'Despicable' Hartlepool thief who stole shop's poppy appeal collection tin is jailed by court

Drug user Kevin Brown, 43, stole the charity box from the counter of the Bungalow Convenience Store, in Stratford Road.

It contained an estimated £300 for the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

The theft in January was captured on the shop’s CCTV.

Two weeks later, Brown burgled Fens Hardware shop, in Catcote Road, overnight on January 28 when he stole £500 of stock.

He was out on licence at the time having been released early from a previous prison sentence.

He was hauled back to prison to finish serving the sentence following his arrest.

Brown was also jailed for a further 34 weeks at Teesside Magistrates’ Court this week after admitting the charity box theft and shop burglary.

Prosecutor Heather Willis described how he entered the Bungalow store at about 5pm on January 14 when the owner Prabakar Paramanathan was in a back store room.

He left after a brief conversation with Mr Paramanathan who later realised the poppy tin was gone.

Ms Willis said: “The victim estimates there was about £300 in the charity box as people had been putting notes in.”

In a victim impact statement Mr Paramanathan said he feared the shop could become a target for other thieves.

District Judge Steven Hood said: “Quite frankly Mr Brown it’s a despicable offence.

"People of the Hartlepool area have given money from their own pocket in order to help charitable causes and you have gone in there and decided that it’s more important that you had that money rather than a good cause.”

Regarding the hardware shop burglary he added it was hard enough for businesses to survive at the moment.

Alex Bousefield, mitigating, said drugs were the cause of the offences, adding: “The defendant is conscious that it’s a charity he’s taken from and it’s a shameful thing to do.

"He’s ashamed of his actions.”

Brown, of no fixed address, was also ordered to pay back the £300 to the charity in compensation and £500 for the shop’s loss of stock.

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