Teen locked up for Great Barr burglaries

By nhorner

A TEENAGER who carried out a string of burglaries in Great Barr has been sent to a Young Offenders' Institution for two years.

Reece Parkes, of Woodfort Road in Hamstead, admitted two burglaries and asked for 20 other similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Judge Michael Challinor told the 18-year-old: "You are responsible for a significant amount of criminality that no doubt resulted in a great deal of distress and loss."

But he said that by deciding to 'clean the slate' after his arrest, the teenager had provided evidence against himself and "brought closure" to many of his victims.

Paul Reid, prosecuting, said the two burglaries took place in Waddington Avenue and Pages Lane and property worth many thousands of pounds had been taken by Parkes in all the raids.

Robert Cowley, defending, told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Parkes came from a "decent hard-working family" but the time came when "they had had enough".

He said Parkes was then in desperate financial circumstances and, while he accepted there was an element of greed in his offending, the things he took paid for his day-to-day living.

Now Parkes was determined to obtain employment on his release from custody, said Mr Cowley, because he had made it clear he wants to put his life back on the right track.