BURGLARIES SPREE BT JESUS MAN

Source : 28/04/1990 Northampton Chronicle and Echo

A Mentally-ill burglar threw away his pills which curbed his criminal tendencies after being told to put his faith in God by the Bugbrooke-based Jesus Army.

The man, a psychiatric patient had stayed out of trouble while taking the tablets after his release from Strangeways, Northampton Crown Court was told.

But when he abandoned his medication, he went back to burglary, theft and deception, Howard Morrison, defending said.

The Jobless man 26, of Northampton, admitted breaking into a house in East Park Parade and stealing jewellery worth £1,350, a second burglary in the same street with intent to steal, and a raid on a house in Clare Street which netted jewellery worth £1,332.

He also pleaded guilty to a burglary in Freehold street and taking a wallet, obtaining services by deception by using a stolen credit card at a guest house in Crewe and making off without payment.

He asked for a burglary, theft and 16 deception offences to be taken into consideration. He was placed on probation for two years.

Mr Morrison said the man had been a psychiatric patient at Northampton's St Crispin Hospital.

'Here we have a man who when he is taking his medication, does not offend, but when he stops taking it, he does.'

'After he came out of Strangeways prison in February 1989, he went to Birmingham and stayed out of trouble until the time he became involved with a organisation called the Jesus People, a radical Christian organisation based at Bugbrooke.'

'People who are under medication, are persuaded to put their faith in religion and to cease taking their medication and it was while he was off the medication, the offences began.'

Mr Morrison said the man was now being treated again at St Crispin.