Serial burglar jailed after lockdown raid on Don Styler's Physical Training Centre in Gosport with a knife in his pocket

Martin Butler, 41, of no fixed address, attempted to steal gym wear, cash and energy drinks from the Don Styler Physical Training Centre in Gosport.

At the time it was among tens of thousands of British venues ordered by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to close on March 20.

Butler broke in on Thursday, July 2 and was confronted when its owner, Matt Styler, returned to collect a mobile phone charger at 10.40pm.

He had locked the gym up only hours earlier.

Prosecuting, Giles Fletcher told Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court: ‘Mr Styler sees the door forced open. He enters his main office – he’s worried about what’s being stolen.

‘He sees a male in the yard so he challenges him. The defendant says he will give back everything and he stops what he is doing.

‘He says “I’ve got a knife, I don’t want you to be worried.”’

The burglary took place as Mr Styler spent months behind the scenes making his gym Covid-19 secure.

It was allowed by government to reopen on July 25, alongside UK pools and leisure centres, with social distancing measures in place.

In a brief victim statement, Mr Styler described catching Butler ‘red handed’.

The defendant threatened no violence at the scene and handed the blade to police when they arrived.

Mitigating, John Naylor said: ‘It’s fair to say Martin was homeless at the time. He was just looking for items to take.

‘He didn’t use [the knife] as a weapon but admits he had it on him. He realises that’s a problem in the circumstances.’

Butler pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of a knife in a public place.

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He has at least nine previous weapons offences and was convicted for another burglary in November, 2018.

Sentencing on August 25, bench chairman Barrie Audus said magistrates ‘had to be mindful’ of Butler’s record.

Mr Fletcher added: ‘Bladed articles are very serious in this day and age.

‘We have a big problem with knife crime in Portsmouth and across the country. There are too many of them around.’

Possession of the lock knife landed Butler six months in prison.

He will serve a four-week custodial sentence for burglary concurrently and pay a £120 victim surcharge.

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