A man who sold a camera lens stolen in the burglary of a photographer’s home has been jailed.
The equipment, worth £900, was taken during the break-in at the elderly victim’s Dewsbury home.
Michael Senior then sold it on at the CeX store in Dewsbury town centre despite suspecting the Nikon-branded lens to be stolen.
He also admitted to a string of store thefts and said that he’d fallen into drugs following the death of his partner and two children in a car accident.
But the 30-year-old was jailed for four months by Kirklees magistrates who told him that his difficulties were no excuse for his horrific criminal record.
Senior, of Lee Road in Ravensthorpe, admitted to seven matters of shoplifting plus a charge of receiving stolen goods.
Prosecutor Alex Bozman told the Huddersfield court that there was nothing linking Senior to the burglary of the photographer’s home.
But on June 21 he went into the Cex store in South Street, Dewsbury, and handed over the stolen camera lens.
Senior, who had an account with the store, was given £376 for this.
Mr Bozman said: “The explanation was that he’d met up with a friend outside the property or in the vicinity and he’d asked him to sell the item on his behalf as he had no identification on him.
“The defendant sold the lens and gave some money back to his friend.
“He accepts that on reflection the circumstances to which he came into the lens should have alerted him to the fact that it was stolen.”
Senior also admitted to a string of thefts, including taking from Calvin Klein boxer shorts from Sports Direct in Dewsbury Retail Park.
He also took £50 worth of chocolate and alcohol valued at £60 from Shillbank Stores in Mirfield on two dates.
Senior stole mascara and eyeshadow from Superdrug in Dewsbury on July 17 and August 18.
He then swiped meat worth £28 from Tesco in the town on October 4.
Following his arrest for the thefts he tested positive for the use of cocaine.
Zara Begum, mitigating, explained that her client led a chaotic lifestyle had recent issues with his accommodation and benefits being suspended.
She said: “His drug abuse started after he lost his partner and two children in a car accident seven years ago.
“He’s found it very difficult to come to terms with the loss of so many members of his family.
“He has been referred to counselling and is on medication for depression.
“He’s been using drugs to cope with his losses as a way of blocking things out and clearly that’s not the way forward for him.”
Miss Begum added that, while her client has been using heroin and crack cocaine, he stole to buy food and electricity because he was struggling to live.
But magistrates told Senior that, while they understood his problems, society should not have to deal with the consequences of his “horrific and repeated offending.”
They jailed him for a total of 16 weeks and ordered him to pay £115 victim surcharge upon his release.
