Hungry thief jailed after stealing packed lunch from car
A peckish thief who swiped a packed lunch from a parked car has been jailed for 34 weeks.
James Richards smashed windows of two cars in Wednesbury's Jockey Lane and Gloucester Road and grabbed the lunchbox, a gift card and handfuls of loose change.
A resident reported seeing Richards, a prolific thief, breaking into one of the vehicles on Wednesday morning and a 999 call saw officers arrive within minutes and locate him loitering in an alleyway munching on an apple and Snickers bar.
The 25-year-old, from Dorsett Road in Friar Park, Wednesbury, admitted two counts of theft. He was jailed at Warley Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon for a total of 34 weeks.
PC Shendy Blakemore, from the local neighbourhood police team, said the case illustrates why motorists should remove all potential attractions for opportunist thieves.
She said: "People seem pretty switched on to not leaving obvious valuables like phones, lap-tops or wallets on display in vehicles – but motorists can further protect themselves against opportunists by removing spare change, clothing or bags."
Richards was handed eight-week jail terms for both thefts, plus an additional 18 weeks for re-offending within the period of a suspended sentence imposed by magistrates for a lap-top theft on September 24.
