Prolific burglar jailed for more than five years

A prolific burglar has been jailed for more than five years after a string of offences committed last year.

James McCorkindale pleaded guilty to numerous offences of burglary and theft committed mostly across the East Leicester area, as well as in Leicester and Loughborough, in September 2022.

Following a police investigation which included CCTV being recovered from many of the scenes as well as forensic evidence, McCorkindale was positively identified as a suspect.

He was arrested on 26 September when he was spotted on Evington Road by local officers.

On arrest, he was found to be in possession of a kitchen knife, a screwdriver and a white substance, which was tested and proven to be cocaine.

He was later charged with four counts of burglary dwelling, five counts of burglary other than dwelling, three counts of theft, one count of going equipped for burglary, one count of possession of Class A drugs namely cocaine,  one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, one count of criminal damage and one count of assault of an emergency worker.

James McCorkindale

The 30-year-old of no fixed address was jailed on Wednesday 26 April at Leicester Crown Court to five years and seven months.

These offences were committed as follows:

• On 3 September in Weymouth Street, Leicester whereby money was stolen from a number of charity collection boxes from inside a religious building
• On 4 September in Beal Street, Leicester whereby a laptop and headphones were stolen from business premises
• On 4 September in Gotham Street, Leicester when a brick was thrown at a car smashing a window
• On 13 September in Baxtergate, Loughborough whereby a laptop, watch and tablet were stolen from a flat
• On 22 September in Prebend Street, Leicester whereby he entered a house but nothing is believed to have been stolen
• On 22 September in Beckingham Road, Leicester whereby a wallet, car keys and a car were stolen from a house
• On 22 September in Brougham Street, Leicester whereby a laptop and printer were stolen from a business premises
• On 23 September in Welford Road, Leicester whereby a monitor and a bag were stolen from premises
• On 24 September in Tichbourne Street whereby money was stolen from charity donation box from inside a religious building
• On 25 September in East Park Road, Leicester whereby a wallet with bank cards and keys were stolen from a house. The bank cards were later used three times to make purchases in stores nearby

The assault of an emergency worker charge related to an officer being assaulted on 25 August 2022 when McCorkindale was detained for other matters. The officer was not seriously injured.

PC Eliot Bates, who was the investigating officer, said: “McCorkindale gave little thought to committing a significant series of burglaries predominantly across the East Leicester area over the course of one month.

“He callously stole money from charity boxes and he was that brazen in his efforts he even carried out three burglaries in one day alone.”

PC Bates added: “I am pleased that McCorkindale will be spending a number of years in prison for what he did and I hope this goes some way in reassuring those affected by his crimes, that we are committed to investigating these crimes and bringing those responsible to justice.”

Inspector Yakub Ismail, commander for East Leicester Neighbourhood Policing area, said: “Offences such as these have a negative impact on our local communities and as well as financially frustrating for businesses and victims who have had equipment and personal possessions taken.

“Burglary remains a priority for myself and my team and we want to reassure those who live and work in East Leicester that we continue to dedicate our patrols and resources to tackle this issue.”