Ringwood burglar Sean Cooper jailed for 29 months after breaking into Fordingbridge home

A REPEAT burglar with a drug problem was being coerced into committing crimes by text message when he broke into a home in Fordingbridge, a court heard.

Sean Cooper (28), formerly of Narrowleaf Drive, Ringwood, pleaded guilty to breaking into a home in Bowerwood Road on 6th November last year.

Prosecutor Tim Devlin told Southampton Crown Court that Cooper stole nothing after breaking in through the property's bathroom window and locking the door from the inside.

Mr Devlin said the homeowner later found glass from the broken window in his conservatory and contacted the police, who found Cooper's blood on the bathroom floor, along with two of his fingerprints.

Cooper also admitted four other commercial premises burglaries while he was in the dock.

Mr Devlin said Cooper, who is already in prison, deserved credit for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity but that he is a three-strike offender with multiple previous convictions for domestic and commercial burglary and shoplifting.

The Crown Prosecution Service's three-strike domestic burglary rule calls for defendants like Cooper to receive at least a three-year prison sentence.

Charles Gabb, mitigating, noted that Cooper's family was in court and were "obviously extremely concerned" about him.

Judge Peter Henry was shown multiple "threatening" text messages that were sent to Cooper by someone Mr Gabb described as "bad news".

Mr Gabb added: "There was a real level of pressure being exerted upon him by another person.

"This is not made up, the police know about this."

The court heard: "The greatest crime he's committed has been chucking away his life by allowing himself to be incarcerated in prison for some time.

"The defendant has been in the grip of a drug addiction and that has driven him to crime for some considerable period of time."

Mr Gabb said Cooper's last dwelling burglary was "opportunistic" and he didn't steal anything but it was still "distressing and disturbing" for the householder.

He also said Cooper is trying to improve himself with classes in prison.

Judge Henry told Cooper: "Of course I have sympathy for people who get into the grip of a class A drugs and feel they have no hope for the future. I understand people in that position find it hard to focus and I have sympathy for them.

"But I have more sympathy for the householders. Imagine it was your family – your mother – who found somebody had broken into her home and stolen things or had intended to steal things. That feeling of violation for the householder is even worse."

Judge Peter Henry handed down a 29-month jail term, telling Cooper he had applied a 20% reduction for his early guilty plea, but he will serve at least half the term in prison before he is considered for release on licence.

The judge added: "I hope you still use your time constructively – it's up to you to realise you must keep away from drugs."

Police staff investigator Stephen Hortin of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s dedicated burglary unit, Operation Hawk, lead the investigation into Cooper.

After Cooper's conviction, Mr Hortin said: “We take burglaries very seriously, and we will use all the tools at our disposal, including forensics, to bring offenders to justice.

“I hope this result offers closure to both victims, and serves as a warning to others who think about committing such crimes.”