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The Lancashire Telegraph
News, sport and entertainment from all over East Lancashire
Gotcha! Blackburn poppy tin thief caught (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Gotcha! Blackburn poppy tin thief caught
9:00am Monday 21st November 2011 in Preston
By Jon Livesey, Reporter
THIEF AT WORK Carl Mason caught on CCTV at the Santander bank moments before he stole the Poppy collection box
A ‘DESPICABLE’ thief has been caught and is facing jail – thanks to an appeal in the Lancashire Telegraph.
Carl Anthony Mason, 29, stole Poppy Appeal tins in Blackburn to fund his heroin addiction, a court heard.
He struck a total of seven times during his spree in the run up to and on Armistice Day.
Mason, of Cresswell Avenue, Preston, was caught after staff from two of the premises he targeted recognised him in CCTV footage printed in the Lancashire Telegraph.
He pleaded guilty at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court to the theft of Poppy Appeal tins from Santander, in King William Street, and Boots, in Great Bolton Street.
He also admitted attempting to steal a Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) Sooty box from the Lockside Tavern, in Bolton Road.
Magistrates were also asked to consider four further offences, involving the theft of Poppy Appeal tins from; Gala Bingo, in Ainsworth Street; Blockbuster, in Great Bolton Street; Halifax, in King William Street; and Boots, in Fishergate, Preston, on August 4.
He was remanded in custody to appear before the Bench on Wednesday.
Philippa White, prosecuting, said: “Money is placed in the Poppy Appeal tins in good faith.
“Members of the public expect it to go to those injured or inconvenienced by war or membership in the Armed Forces.
“Clearly the offences committed were despicable. It is harsh, but that is the only word I can think of to describe them.”
The court was told Mason moved into Jay’s Bed and Breakfast, in Bolton Road, after being released from prison, where he had served a 12-week term for similar offences.
On Sunday November 6, he went into the nearby Lockside Tavern and asked if he could sit at the bar while he waited for his father.
But moments later he was thrown out by a regular customer, in full view of landlady Christine Ainsworth, after he was caught trying to steal an RNIB Sooty box.
He stole a Poppy Appeal tin containing £42 from Santander, in King William Street, in Blackburn town centre, on Wednesday November 9.
And on Friday November 11 - Armistice Day - Mason went into Boots, in Great Bolton Street, where he spoke to staff about finding a drug support team in the area, before stealing yet another Poppy Appeal tin, the court heard.
Later that day, the pharmacist who had spoken to Mason recognised him in the CCTV images in the Lancashire Telegraph.
Mrs Ainsworth, from the Lockside Tavern, also identified him as the same man who had been ejected from her pub after watching the clip online.
Ms White said: “It would appear that when Mrs Ainsworth looked on the website, she recognised the man as the same one who went into the Lockside Tavern on November 6.
“The pharmacist saw the Lancashire Telegraph, with the picture of the man stealing the poppy appeal tin from Santander and recognised him as the guy he had spoken to the previous morning.
"He was certain it was the same man he had spoken to about drug treatment.”
When arrested in Preston on Friday, Mason told admitted to the thefts at Santander and Boots, as well as the attempted theft at the Lockside Tavern.
Defending, Scott Parker, said his client’s offences had been motivated entirely by his heroin addiction.
He said: “He is thoroughly ashamed of himself and was very upset when I spoke to him in custody this morning.
“He said 'I’m sorry for all the Poppy Appeal tins, I didn’t realise how much it meant.'”
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (30)
9:09am Mon 21 Nov 11
ossy says...
9:10am Mon 21 Nov 11
Jack Herer says...
9:32am Mon 21 Nov 11
Keith Myath says...
.
Remember Austin Molloy!
9:33am Mon 21 Nov 11
onetrack says...
Probably upset only because he was caught !!
9:34am Mon 21 Nov 11
happycyclist says...
9:37am Mon 21 Nov 11
happycyclist says...
Scott, get a grip, he isn't ashamed of himself at all. He's worthless lowlife scum who will say anything to reduce his sentence.
9:46am Mon 21 Nov 11
Seneca says...
10:02am Mon 21 Nov 11
notchuffed says...
Surely you must realise it is people of the ilk of Scott Parker and his industry that are bring the country to its knees.
The solicitors, barristers and law firms are making an absolute fortune out of seeing to the so called "rights" of Illegal Immigrants and constant offenders. It is these professionals who coach them in what to say and do so the fat cat lawyers can milk the system for all it is worth.
Yours sincerely "Disgusted" (at the scum being defended and those who defend them
10:34am Mon 21 Nov 11
Phuck Mei Banjina says...
10:38am Mon 21 Nov 11
ladysal says...
The defence counsel was almost certainly not one of those "fat cat" lawyers, just one of a number who provide this basic right to those (whether or not they deserve it) and who cannot afford to pay for it themselves.
Save your vitriol for those who do make a killing out of the the well off who seem to think they are above the law, or those who see "compensation" in every accident.
10:55am Mon 21 Nov 11
BuckoTheMoose says...
Maybe your frustration should be directed at the magistrates who are terrified of jailing anyone these days.
11:02am Mon 21 Nov 11
ossym says...
DID they have to see it via LET website?
LET still did a good service by showing the CCTV but I hope they were not trying to mislead us by vague reorting.
11:05am Mon 21 Nov 11
Jack Herer says...
Glass half empty perchance?
12:15pm Mon 21 Nov 11
notchuffed says...
Armistce day is one thing I will nevr forget having lost relatives in both WWs.
What I don't do is look at the world through rose tinted glasses. One thing I don't have is frustrations.
I agree the right to defence is paramount but you seem or choose to overlook all the wrongful advertising and defending done by solicitors/barrister
s in "No win No Fee situations and the well known fact that a) They instruct and teach clients on continual ways to find loopholes in our legal system so they can rack up bigger fees.
b) There is practically a separate arm within the legal system specifically set up to again milk the system under Human rights etc.
I really think it is time that the public became aware of the damage these sort of practices are doing to the economy in the same way the Banking system did.
Every £1 they put into their accounts in cases such as this comes out of the pockets of people who work and pay taxes.
Clear the tints from your glasses and wake up to what is happening or are you "preferential clients" as well?
12:20pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Dave139 says...
**** !!!
1:03pm Mon 21 Nov 11
happycyclist says...
I'm neither a lawyer nor a thieving scumbag.
1:09pm Mon 21 Nov 11
QuarryGang78 says...
And the scumbag responsible will get a warm welcome in jail from ex service men who have fallen on hard times and find themselves in the same position as the scumbag that stole from them.If it was up to me i would have sent the scumbag to Afghanistan picking up road side tins and take bets on how many he can find before he joins the service men in the afterlife who can then make things even more intrestring for him 'for more nastier than any of us mere mortals can think of'...say yes to a New World Order and say goodbye to this sort of scum...W.P.O
1:38pm Mon 21 Nov 11
BuckoTheMoose says...
I have used a court appointed solicitor for a speeding offence. He was great and all he got paid was the court fee.
This chap will have also been using the court appointed chap.
I totally agree with your stance on ambulance chasers and human rights lawyers, but I don't think that was the type of lawyer used here.
4:31pm Mon 21 Nov 11
alfa111 says...
5:32pm Mon 21 Nov 11
buzzinfly says...
7:26pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Good call says...
7:39pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Michael@ClitheroeSince58 says...
7:46pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Seneca says...
(I miss the 'you don't know him' lunatics)
8:17pm Mon 21 Nov 11
Walsh says...
9:34am Tue 22 Nov 11
tottielimejuice77 says...
10:38am Tue 22 Nov 11
shadyladyaccy says...
12:39pm Tue 22 Nov 11
makaveli96 says...
2) head
3) BBQ
4) Mmmm fried criminal on toast!
5) perfect Britain!
11:15pm Tue 22 Nov 11
Mister Red says...
"...........I doubt if this is true.He needs a good kicking.
11:36pm Tue 22 Nov 11
brok says...
A thief gets caught stealing from collection tins and the bandwagon groans under the weight of those who leap upon it. I wonder how many pounds were donated to the Poppy (Haig) Fund by the 'whited sepulchres' who put finger to keyboard.
Yes, the crime was as despicable as it was petty perhaps the magistrates could have ordered a period of drug rehabilitation after a custodial sentence, perhaps we need to look more closely at a more effective way of treating offenders, possibly estimating the amount stolen from the various charities (for example £600) and put the man to work until he had repaid the money. Then we would have the same voices complaining that "scum-bags" (what a disgusting Americanism), were taking the jobs away from honest folk!
I have no idea of the age range of contributors to these posts, or their reason for their antipathy to lawyers. As usual, it is most likely to be the politics of envy. Get off your bums go down to the Tech book an Access to HE course, go to uni, study law ergo you will be a 'fat cat'. But remember, while this chap was being filmed, children were being abused, people mugged and murdered, he is one criminal among so many. But then poor old Mrs X doesn't have the appeal of the men and women sent to a useless war in Afghanistan or other places the American masters command their poodles to go.
1:56pm Wed 23 Nov 11
Keith Myath says...
.
He's vile scum, and may he rot in hell!