A CASH-STRAPPED burglar who fled empty handed after attempting to raid a Carlisle store late at night has been left with an £1,100 debt to a court.

The defence lawyer who represented 34-year-old Marc Austin said he committed the offence at The Range in Currock Road because he was "desperate" to reduce his debts.

But the raid was a complete failure, and simply landed him with yet more debt. The defendant, of Fairybeck Gardens, Carlisle, admitted burglary. Prosecutor George Shelley outlined the facts.

The offending came to light shortly before 10pm on Monday, December 11 last year, when the manager of the store received an alert confirming the security alarm was triggered.

Police arrived a short time later to find that the defendant had smashed his way into the shop’s front entrance area and broken another window, offering access to the store's interior. Officers found a hammerhead at the scene.

“The suspect was located nearby,” said Mr Shelley.

Further investigations revealed how the defendant’s Peugeot van had entered the store’s car park at 9.36pm; there was also evidence confirming that Austin’s phone had been active in the area around the Currock Road store.

Austin had 37 crimes on his record, the most recent ones dating from May for battery, theft, and breaching a suspended sentence order.

Adele Graham, defending, told magistrates: “He’s been suffering ongoing debts and was living in a hostel. As a result, he suffered a decline in his mental health and fully accepts he should have been nowhere near The Range at that time.

“But he felt desperate and that it might be a way to reduce some of those ongoing debts.”

Since the offence, the defendant had turned his life around, said Miss Graham, and he now lived with his mother, though his father was presently very ill and, having had his treatment stopped, did not have very long left.

His poor mental heath rendered him unsuitable for unpaid work, she said. “But he would welcome any ongoing assistance from services,” said Miss Graham, adding that nothing was stolen in the raid.

Noting the “good progress” that the defendant had made with the Probation Service, magistrates imposed a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days.

As punishment, they fined Austin £50 and told him he must pay The Range compensation of £1,050.