Skipton man, 37, who acted as burglary lookout, spared jail (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Skipton man, 37, who acted as burglary lookout, spared jail

2:06pm Thursday 28th March 2013 in Blackburn Rovers & Premier League Table & Results

The lookout for a burglary gang that smashed its way into a rural home was spared a jail sentence on his birthday after a court heard he had changed his ways following the death of his father.

Vincent Hawkins was in breach of a suspended jail sentence and a community order when he took part in the raid on the remote house near Goose Eye, Bradford Crown Court heard last Wednesday.

He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision, a drug rehabilitation requirement and a six-month electronically-monitored curfew.

Hawkins, 37, of North Parade in Skipton, pleaded guilty to burgling the unoccupied house during the middle of the day on August 1 last year.

Among the thieves’ haul was a diamond ring and a laptop computer.

He and a co-accused were arrested the next day at Asda in Keighley with a rucksack containing swag from the burglary, prosecutor Alexander Menary said.

Hawkins’ barrister, Richard Gioserano, said his client did not plan the burglary. He was in a poor state from drink and drugs and went along as lookout.

Since the death of his father in September last year, he had done everything he could to prove he could stay out of trouble.

He had been on bail for six months without committing any further offences.