Sneak thief stole laptop, phones and credit cards from staff member at Newcastle's St James' Park - then got caught after raiding hospital

Terence Mann, 39, was jailed for 36 weeks after he pleaded guilty to swiping a laptops, mobile phones and a computer base unit on February 23.A court was told how the offences both took place on the same day that Newcastle United played host to Huddersfield Town at St James' Park. Mann admitted swiping the bag from a Premier League official after entering the press area of the stadium where the bag was left unattended.CCTV also caught Mann leaving the stadium with the bag that contained a laptop, two mobile phones and the owner's credit cards.After leaving the stadium, he headed towards the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) where he snuck into the hospital through an open window.A security guard became suspicious after observing a panicked Mann dumping the rucksack in the accident and emergency department.He went to review CCTV and was shocked when the footage showed the thief stealing a computer base unit and fleeing through the same window.Police were called and they were able to return the stolen rucksack to the staff member at St James' Park before quickly identifying Mann as the offender.Now Mann, of Rutherford Street, Howden, has been jailed for 36 weeks after admitting two counts of burglary at Newcastle Crown Court on February 27.PC Paul Lewins, of the Newcastle City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Terence Mann is your definition of an opportunistic thief and he deserves to be behind bars."On the day in question he was walking around Newcastle looking for opportunities to commit criminal offences and steal people's property."He told police in interview that he dumped the rucksack at the RVI because he wanted to return it to its rightful owner."But then Mann went on to steal a computer hard drive from the hospital which means his account had no credibility."It says a lot about his character that he would steal from a hospital and I am glad that magistrates deemed his offending serious enough to warrant a custodial sentence."As well as the custodial sentence Mann was also made to pay a victim surcharge of £115.