Birthday boy given gift by judge after stealing and eating chicken wings

Buckstone Drive in Leeds
-Credit:Google Maps


A birthday boy burglar who stole and ate chicken wings from a woman's fridge has been given a gift by a Leeds judge.

Mohammed Azam, 23, targeted two homes in December last year, having been released from prison. Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday, February 5 that he was the subject of a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his own mother and was homeless when he decided to break into a property in Buckstone Close and Buckstone Drive on December 15.

Prosecutor Thomas Doyle said that between 7.10am and 7.15am that morning a homeowner received a notification on her Ring doorbell showing a man in her front garden. Mr Doyle said: "It was the defendant wearing a face mask and hoodie. He was seen wandering around the garden, opening her greenhouse door. There is no evidence to suggest he successfully entered. She then heard a noise coming from her garden and went to see what it was and saw the man walking away. She realised it was the same man."

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The court heard a window which was slightly open at the woman's home was found to then be wide open. Crime scene investigators attended and found Azam's DNA at the point of entry.

Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court

It was said he then targeted another home, this time entering through an outhouse.

Mr Doyle said not only did Azam, of Queens Road in Halifax, steal a duvet cover, but he also took and ate a number of chicken wings from a fridge inside the house. He was confronted by the victim and told her he was homeless and "trying to keep warm."

The prosecutor said: "He was found at around 12.30pm on Scott Hall Road and arrested. He made significant comments such as: 'Yeah, it's because I'm homeless.' The duvet cover was found stuffed down his pants.

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"In his interview, he made admissions and said he was sleeping rough at the time and had been released from prison a week prior. He said he had attempted to get the duvet to keep himself warm and was eating food and was confronted and walked away."

Azam - who appeared at the court for sentencing on his birthday - had previous convictions on his record for offences including burglary, robbery and theft.

He represented himself in court.

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His Honour Judge Pema made him the subject of a two-year community order and told him: "Clearly, from the psychological report I have read, there is a lot of background problems that need to be addressed that will only go on so you need to go for an assessment and get some help otherwise you will keep going back to prison.

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"You're only 23 and will spend decades of your life going back to prison. The sentences will only keep getting longer and longer as you fail to do what you should."

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