Portsmouth burglar who targeted Portchester school appears in court

Jacob Clarke, 19, of Hilary Avenue, Cosham, admitted jointly burgling Portchester Community School on November 16 last year.

At Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday he was due to be sentenced but had not spoken with probation.

Clarke claimed he had no mobile phone as police took it when he was arrested and said it was at the ‘fed station’.

Questioned by an unconvinced district judge Gary Lucie, the defendant then said he does now have the phone back – but has no SIM.

The judge said: ‘You must be the only person in Portsmouth who doesn’t have a mobile phone number.’

He added: ‘I don’t know if you know how serious this is – I could send you to prison today without a report.

‘You are looking at prison – if you want to stay out of prison you need to co-operate with (probation).’

Unemployed Clarke said he ‘removed myself’ from a job over issues with his pay and added: ‘I’m looking at joining the army sir.’

He was bailed, after giving probation his grandmother’s phone number, to be sentenced on August 25.

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