A drug addict who burgled a hospital claimed that he was using it as a shortcut to collect his methadone prescription.

Carl Keenan admitted trespassing onto the diabetes and endocrinology department at Dewsbury and District Hospital on October 15 last year.

The 36-year-old, who had 11 previous burglaries on his record, was jailed for more than five months.

Kirklees magistrates were told that the ward was closed over the weekend but the receptionist noticed that something was wrong when she came into work on the Monday.

Prosecutor Andy Wills said: “She noticed that her office cabinet was open and things had been moved around on her desk.

“Nothing of note was reported stolen but the matter was reported and the CCTV was checked.”

This showed Keenan walking into the reception area at 7am and lifting the roller shutter hatch dividing the office and the main waiting area.

Dewsbury & District Hospital

Mr Wills told magistrates: “He’s climbed through this hatch, the shutter closed behind him and he’s not covered by CCTV here.

“The light was turned on and then off again and five minutes later he’s climbed back out and put the shutter back.”

Keenan, of Manor Way in Batley, left the department via a different door but had to force it open to leave.

A local Police Community Support Officer later viewed the CCTV footage and immediately recognised Keenan.

He was arrested and said that he cut through the hospital on a daily basis to collect his prescription from the nearby chemists.

Keenan initially denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he was on the ward to look for his girlfriend and use the toilet.

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He appeared at the Huddersfield court in custody after failing to attend a previous court date.

The offence was committed while he was subject to a suspended prison sentence for stealing alcohol from Asda.

This included a ban on entering any branch of the store within West Yorkshire for a year.

Keenan also failed to comply with the terms of his post sentence supervision following his recent release from prison.

Magistrates heard that he had 87 offences on his record, including 11 burglaries.

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His solicitor Jonathan Slawinski explained that he offended due to his drug problems, chaotic lifestyle and dropping in and out of his methadone prescriptions.

He said of the hospital burglary: “It’s a shortcut route he takes through the hospital to collect his prescription.

“It was the weekend, he was looking for the toilet and got locked in.

“He became inquisitive and lifted the rollers up to the reception area, goes under and then regresses five minutes later.

“The only reason he got caught was he moved some papers around and that was shown on the CCTV.”

Magistrates jailed Keenan for 21 weeks and ordered him to pay £115 victim surcharge upon his release.