A man with "one of the worst" criminal records seen by the courts burgled a mosque while a funeral was taking place.
Kevin McMullen also repeatedly targeted a popular restaurant which had given him free food, stealing thousands of pounds from the business despite this gesture of kindness. But his crime spree eventually came to an end when he left a trail of blood behind following a break-in on Christmas Eve.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Monday, that the 59-year-old had befriended staff at Hafla Hafla, on Lark Lane, and was allowed to have meals free of charge at the end of their shifts after "loitering around looking dishevelled". Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, described how McMullen "kept returning asking for more" however and was eventually told by the owner that he "couldn't keep feeding him".
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A week after this, at around 1.45am on October 28 last year, he broke into the restaurant by pulling back its newly-installed bifold doors. The serial offender then entered the safe and pocketed an envelope containing £2,000.
McMullen – of Croxteth Road, Toxteth – returned again at 3.30am on November 26, being seen on CCTV smashing the front window with a brick before taking £50 from the till. A third burglary at a similar time on December 24 saw have damage the glass front with a large rock and take another £50.
The defendant also broke into Al-Rahma Mosque, on Hatherley Street in Toxteth, at 11am on December 20 during a funeral. McMullen entered an office before stealing £350 in cash and credit cards from a wallet.
The imam at this site had also taken pity on him by giving him free food. He was arrested later in the day following the Christmas Eve incident having cut himself on the broken glass. Police discovered him with cuts and blood on his clothes.
McMullen has a total of 83 previous convictions for 138 offences dating back to the early 1980s, including 41 for burglary. Julian Nutter, defending, told the court: "He has one of the worst records you or I will have seen for this sort of offending.
"He is an individual who has his offending rooted in committing offences while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He is now off the drugs, and it is only drink.
"This was a relapse, but he has started to try and turn his life around. He is deeply embarrassed and ashamed of what he's done – he wants to apologise to these people."
McMullen admitted four counts of burglary. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 10 months and handed a restraining order banning him from Hafla Hafla for seven years.
Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: "You have one of the worst sets of antecedents and previous convictions this court has seen – the vast majority for theft, fraud or like offences. Your previous convictions show an entrenched pattern of offending spanning many decades.
"You are a long-term addict of heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol. You have turned to these substances as a means to cope with negative feelings which I have no doubt are linked to traumatic experiences you have had growing up and since.
"It is clear you are quite rightly disgusted with yourself. This was more than impulsive – you were going back again and again."
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