Board in the City burglar stole items worth more than £1,600

Prosecutor John Dyer said Karl Fawcett "was hurting people like himself" by burgling Board in the City.

The 41-year-old added to his "appalling" criminal record when he smashed a window with a brick to steal items worth £1,646.90.

These also included soft drinks, flavoured ciders and boxes of cards which he placed in a sleeping bag and carried outside.

When a member of the public found him pushing a trolley and reported him to the police, Fawcett claimed he had just found the trolley and was taking it home.

But officers could see blood on his shirt and upon going inside the café, also found drops of blood in the stock room and on the brick on the floor.

READ MORE: Southampton café Board in the City devastated after break-in

Fawcett, who has 51 previous court appearances for 153 offences, was arrested but refused to provide a specimen for analysis or attend an interview.

Mr Dyer said he remained in his cell with clothes over his head most of the time.

“Whether it was influenced by him being under the influence of Class A drugs is mute because he refused to take a test,” he said.

Paul and Hayley Binstead, directors of Board in the City in Southampton (Image: Newsquest)

The court heard Fawcett requires mental health support and has a drug problem but has been clean for the three weeks he was remanded in custody.

Mitigating, Jamie Gammon said: “Mr Fawcett comes here hoping for some degree of support.

“[He is] not a habitual burglar. He is in the best possible place in my submission now to emerge and engage with the probation service and do what he is told.

“I remember when he was a young man and it is really sad to see him come back time and time again.

“He is going to get significantly worse if he carries on taking drugs.”

But Judge Peter Henry described the burglary as “a very mean and unpleasant offence” adding “there is no prospect, in my judgement, of rehabilitation”.

Fawcett, of Cuckmere Lane, Southampton was jailed for six months after he pleaded guilty to offences of burglary and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

The judge added: “You are not a young man anymore. You are 41 years old and you have an appalling criminal record now.

“Of course, I am alive to the difficulties that people get themselves addicted to class A drugs have.

“They have to feed themselves with their drugs so they go off and commit offences.

“You, quite clearly, knew where you were burgling. This wasn’t totally opportunistic.

“There was a degree of planning and you were quite prepared to commit an offence.”