Burglar who stole from charity boxes locked up

A prolific thief who twice rummaged through charity boxes while breaking into a property has been jailed.

Linnette Burton targeted the same student accommodation building on two separate occasions in the space of one week.

After managing to get into the ground floor communal area in Ilkeston Road, Radford, the burglar started looking for items to steal.

During both early-morning break-ins – on 10 and 17 July 2024 – she rummaged through a charity box, helping herself to a coat on one occasion.

Burton also removed a smart TV from the wall during her second visit to the property, before brazenly walking out of the building with it.

The 41-year-old thief then followed this up by stealing perfume from a shop in Victoria Centre, Nottingham city centre, at 3.45pm that same day (17 July).

This represented her fifth shop theft in June and July, with Burton targeting the same store on 2 and 7 June – stealing sunglasses both times.

Burton also helped herself to a £1,400 handbag from a city centre shop in Lister Gate on 9 July, before stealing again from another store in Netherfield on 13 July.

Her thieving caught up with her soon after that, when officers looked through CCTV footage of the incidents and linked her to each one of them.

Burton, of no fixed address, eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and five shop thefts, ahead of an appearance at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (26 September).

She was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

PC Emma Jordan, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We’re really pleased to see that Burton has now owned up to her persistent thieving and has now been punished for her actions.

“Her decision to repeatedly break into a property and help herself to items, including ones from inside a charity box located there, were completely immoral.

“These two burglaries came in the middle of a series of shop thefts involving Burton, in which she helped herself to whatever she could get her hands on.

“It should go without saying, but this was not – and never will be – acceptable behaviour, so she has rightfully now been put behind bars.”