A 20 YEAR OLD Dudley man who left a palm print on the handle of a van, taken in a £17,000 raid on a house, has been sent into custody for a year.

Christopher Jones' fingerprints were also found inside a Vauxhall car taken from Russells Hall Hospital while the owner was visiting his sick father.

Recorder Anthony Khangure QC told Jones it was clear that on the day of the break-in he had gone out determined to break the law.

He said: "You have a considerable record littered with offences of dishonesty."

Jones admitted burglary and two charges of allowing himself to be carried in a motor vehicle knowing it had been taken without consent.

Mr Glyn Samuel prosecuting said Jones was currently a serving prisoner having been sentenced to six months at a Young Offenders Institution by Dudley Magistrates for another burglary.

Mr Samuel told Wolverhampton Crown Court on March 26, how Jones played his part in the raid on the house in Lyndale Road, Wombourne when other property including cash and passports was taken.

The van was driven off by the raiders and when later found abandoned at Dudley Leisure Centre, the palm print of Jones was recovered from the door handle.

When questioned by police after his arrest, Jones told officers they had gone to raid a school in Wombourne but, when they found their way was barred, they opted instead to break into the nearby house.

In court Jones told the Recorder his girlfriend was expecting their baby. He said: "I know my life has got to change. I do not want my child having to visit me in prison. I am sorry and I want to apologise for what I have done."

2:43pm Wednesday 26th March 2008

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