Leigh Park thief who attempted to escape Southleigh Park House gets stuck in tree

Hapless criminal James Garland, 36, left Havant mansion Southleigh Park House with a bill of £6,500 after stealing lead roof during his hijinks.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Garland along with two other men went to the Eastleigh Road location on July 21 after 9pm to steal the roofing before the defendant was caught ‘red-handed’.

After carefully navigating his way onto the top of the Grade II country house, Garland was quickly caught out after security ‘heard someone on the roof’.

‘You jumped into a tree – but were easily found,’ judge Timothy Mousley QC said.

He added: ‘Firefighters had to get you down.’

But despite being caught in the act Garland, of Bishopstoke Road, Leigh Park, remained tight-lipped over his misdemeanour.

‘You were caught red-handed – I don’t understand why you persisted with a not guilty plea until a week before the trial,’ the judge said.

‘During your police interview you gave “no comment” answers” – but the evidence was overwhelming.’

Judge Mousley said costs to make amends to the roof came to £6,500.

The court heard how despite a ‘very long record’ of offences over the years Garland did enjoy a period of abstinence from the court between 2008-15.

However, a ‘spike in his offending’ resurfaced in 2015 following the death of his dad before he was given a conditional discharge for possessing amphetamines in June last year.

In June this year Garland was also given a nine month jail term suspended for 12 months for dangerous driving for an offence in December 2017.

It meant the defendant, who admitted a charge of theft for the Southleigh Park House raid, was in breach of the suspended sentence.

The judge continued: ‘Plainly the offence involved some degree of planning but was not particularly sophisticated and you went with two other people.

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‘It is aggravated by a similar previous conviction, though that was burglary with intent. There is no visible sign of remorse and no one has put that on me so custody is inevitable.’

Philip Allman, defending, had pleaded with the judge not to send Garland to jail with him saying it would be ‘disastrous’ for the drug addict.

‘If he goes to prison today the chance of him being found on the roof again increases,’ he said.

It was also pointed out that Garland had remained out of trouble for 17 months.

Judge Mousley concluded: ‘Uppermost in my mind is to deter you from committing these types of offences.’

The judge then served up a 15 month jail term – but decided he could suspend it for 18 months.

Garland was also told to complete 20 rehabilitation days.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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