"Persistent offender" jailed for vandalism and theft

Saturday 15 July 2023

A "persistent offender" with a "really shocking record" has been jailed for a year for a string of thefts and acts of vandalism.

Michael Rodrigues De Sousa (40) was also ordered to pay £3,060 in compensation for the damage he did.

He was also banned for driving for three years, after the Magistrate’s Court heard that he had been caught using a vehicle without insurance for the tenth time.

Advocate Katie Ridley, prosecuting, said De Sousa had a long history of offending, and that the first offence in the most recent spate took place on 1 October at around 23:00.

He took his moped into Pier Road car park, stole fuel from another motorcycle and poured it into the fuel tank of his own vehicle – damaging the other motorbike in the process.

De Sousa then broke into a parked car and stole hair straighteners, a mobile phone charger cable, an entrance fob and a coffee mug. The thefts were caught on CCTV.

Then four days later, the defendant stole a handbag from a car parked outside shops in Cheapside. It contained a driving licence and two debit cards which he tried to use later, though the cards had been cancelled by then.

That week he was also charged with using his moped without a licence or insurance – his tenth offence of that kind.

On 28 April, he tried to damage the CCTV cameras in Patriotic Street car park with a cigarette lighter, and was seen trying the handles of cars parked there a few days later.

On 5 May, he tried to damage CCTV cameras in the car park of International House and stole a bluetooth speaker from a car parked there.

Advocate Mike Preston, defending, admitted De Sousa had "a poor record" but pointed out that he had pleaded guilty early after receiving legal advice, and said: "Belatedly he has been showing remorse."

He said prison was likely but asked the Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, to "take a step back to think how that would benefit him or benefit society".

He said De Sousa had a steady job as a carpenter and a partner who was expecting their child in a few months, but if sent to prison he would return to offending, predicting: "The spiral will continue."

He suggested a community service order.

However, the Magistrate said prison was inevitable – and that if De Sousa’s case had gone to the Royal Court he would be facing a longer sentence than she could impose.

She told him: "You have a really shocking record. There’s no other way to deal with you but as a persistent offender. You will come back and offend again and again and again. That’s what we’ve seen."

Magistrate Shaw added: "The public need to be protected from you."