A PROLIFIC thief with 110 criminal offences on his record was caught red-handed throwing boxes of garden furniture over the fence at B&M Stores in Bradford.

David Sparkes put a pillowcase over the barbed wire to climb into the premises at Harrogate Road to retrieve the boxes that were hidden to steal later, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Sparkes, 50, of Greystone Crescent, Idle, Bradford, had 47 offences of dishonesty on his ‘copious’ record, prosecutor Eddison Flint said.

He admitted stealing garden furniture worth £120 from the store on June 8 last year.

The court heard that he was in breach of a suspended jail sentence imposed by the court in June, 2021, for burglary.

Mr Flint said that a member of the public saw big boxes being thrown over the fence after Sparkes had climbed in after closing time. His accomplice was stacking them up on the other side.

Sparkes challenged a member of the public who spotted him, shouting: “What are you looking at? I’ll kill you, you fat b*****.’ Mr Flint said the boxes of stolen goods had been concealed in an area at the garden centre not accessible to the public ready to be retrieved later by the thieves.

He told the court that Sparkes’ ‘copious’ offending included 44 previous convictions for 110 offences.

Lydia Pearce said in mitigation that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

She said it would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence because he had since been dealt with for other offences without being sent to prison for the breach.

There was a long delay in charging him after he was caught immediately at the scene.

Sparkes had since been sentenced for police obstruction and shoplifting.

He had completed the curfew order and the drug rehabilitation order that were part of the suspended sentence.

He had led a chaotic lifestyle but he was working with support groups to tackle his drug addiction. All that help would fall away if he was sent to prison.

Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC said Sparkes was under the influence of drugs and or alcohol when he stole the garden furniture, which was all recovered.

The suspended sentence order was about to expire. His compliance had improved over time and it would be unjust to activate it now.

Sparkes was sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision and 15 reha-bilitation activity days. He was fined £10 for breaching the order.