THREE men who broke into an Islamic education centre stole more than £8,000 from tins used as part of a fund raising drive.

Blackburn magistrates heard the burglars also stole 12 mobile phones which had been confiscated from pupils at the centre.

Daniel Andronache, 20, of Holly Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to burglary at the Masid-E-Sajedeeen Madresa-E-Islamia.

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He was sent to Preston Crown Court to be sentenced on January 9. Andronache was released on bail with conditions of residence, electronically monitored curfew between 7pm and 8 am, surrender of his passport and Romanian ID document and reporting to Blackburn police station four times a week.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said the intruders scaled a spiked fence before climbing up scaffolding and entering the building through a window which hadn’t been replaced by builders.

They removed the glass from the office fire door before forcing open a filing cabinet. which contained the cash tins and mobile phones.

When he was interviewed Andronache said there were two other men involved but said he didn’t know their names.

“He claimed to have only taken £370 but this was a joint enterprise,” said Miss Allan.

“The defendant has no previous convictions but has been cautioned for shoplifting which is why his fingerprints were in the system.”