Holme Wood thief leapt out of house window with laptop (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Children’s football coach sent to prison for four years for string of offences

9:00am Saturday 29th September 2012 in News By Jenny Loweth, T&A Reporter

A junior football coach who leapt from a house window clutching a stolen laptop after an aggressive confrontation with the householder has been jailed for four years.

Baynton Smith, 53, who has a string of convictions for house breaking, robbery and theft, began taking drugs again after moving from London to start a new life, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Smith, of Somerton Drive, Holme Wood , Bradford, pleaded guilty to burgling a house in the city at 5.30am on May 13.

He was on bail for dishonestly handling an £8,500 car stolen from a house in Bowling Hall Road, Bradford, on December 14 last year and theft of a handbag from a shop in Gaythorne Road, West Bowling , Bradford.

Prosecutor Adam Birkby said that Smith stole a mobile phone from a teenage boy’s bedroom at the shared house in Spring Place, Great Horton , while the boy slept.

He seized the laptop computer from a second bedroom but was confronted by the occupier returning from a night out.

Smith shouted at the man to get out of his way and then jumped from the window with the laptop.

The burglary victim ran outside and saw Smith lying on his back in the garden clutching the computer.

He fled but was chased by the householder, threatening to kill him if he continued the pursuit.

Smith dropped his burglar’s kit containing wire cutters and pliers, the court heard.

He was arrested soon afterwards and the laptop recovered.

The court heard he had 66 previous convictions and was a “third strike” house breaker.

Smith’s barrister, Stephen Wood, said his client had been remanded in custody for about 200 days.

He was an accredited football coach who taught youngsters in the city for two years.

He set up a wheelie bin washing business but became involved with drugs again.

While in Leeds Prison, Smith had stopped taking drugs and he was “a model prisoner”, said Mr Wood.

Judge John Potter said his record was “a catalogue of dishonesty, and on occasions, violence”.

Smith was jailed for three years for the burglary, eight months for handling stolen goods and four months for stealing the handbag, all to run consecutively.