Inmate burgled butcher's after escaping prison
Northumbria PoliceA violent criminal who burgled a butcher's shop after walking out of an open prison has been jailed for a year.
Michael Curran, 45, tried to steal knives and joints of meat from Block & Bottle in Heaton two months after fleeing from HMP Kirkham in Lancashire, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Curran, of no fixed abode, had 118 offences on his criminal record, including a 15-year jail term imposed in 2011 for causing someone intentional grievous bodily harm, and has been recalled to prison until February 2027.
He admitted escaping from custody and attempted burglary.
Curran was moved to HMP Kirkham, a Category D prison, on 3 July, prosecutor Stuart Graham said.
On 25 July he "just walked out of his own accord" through the unmanned perimeter, the court heard.
He returned to his native North East and was "at large" until he tried to burgle the shop in Heaton, Mr Graham said.
'Crimes on the run'
Curran used a crowbar to get into the building, damaging a Victorian-era door, and put knives and joints of meat in baskets with the intention to steal them, the court heard.
Police were quickly on the scene after being notified by the shop's security system and officers used an incapacitant spray to subdue him as he was still armed with the crowbar, the court heard.
The owner of Block & Bottle said the burglary was the first she had faced in her more than eight years of running the business.
She said the break-in had "really shaken" her and she had had to install extra security cameras as a result.
Recorder Jeremy Hill-Baker said inmates in open prisons were placed there "on trust" and those who absconded could expect to be jailed again.
He said Curran had an "appalling record" and had committed more offences while "on the run".
The one-year sentence will be served while Curran is held on recall, with the judge saying he did not have the power to order it to follow consecutively.
