A MAN who acted as a look out while a gang stripped a house of copper pipes has been given an ‘exceptional’ sentence.

Jordan Ward was at the house while the carpets and floorboards were lifted to enable the gang to rip out the piping, radiators and boilers causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 25-year-old was not the mastermind behind he scheme to strip the house and cash the stolen property in as scrap.

Judge Chris Smith passed an ‘exceptional’ sentence when he ordered Ward to serve a two-year community order for his lesser role in the burglary.

“This was a bad burglary, you and others went into that house and you stripped it of all the copper inside,” he said. “You left that house an empty shell, nobody could live in it as a consequence, until they had repaired thousands of pounds worth of damage.

“Normally people go to prison for this, that is what you have been told, but there is considerable mitigation in this case. I am entirely satisfied that you were taken advantage of.

“You do not have any previous convictions, if you had, prison would be a real risk but I’m satisfied that it’s appropriate for me to do something else for now.

“I’m going to make a two-year order – that is exceptional.”

Uzma Khan, prosecuting, said traces of the defendant’s blood was found inside the property and he was a member of the gang which stripped the house bare of copper and left the owner thousands of pounds out of pocket.

She said all the carpets and floorboards had been ripped up and they stole the copper piping, radiators and boilers leaving it flooded causing £14,145 damage resulting in it being unlettable until all the repairs had been carried out.

Jordan Ward, of Cornwall Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to burglary following the events on July 31, 2020, on the same street.

Martin Scarborough, in mitigation, accepted his client had an on-going crack cocaine habit but had moved out of the area to get away from ‘bad influences’.

“He got nothing out of this, it was the other men who weighed it in and made the money,” he said.

“He does say he was a ‘look out’ for all intents and purposes.”

Ward was also ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and take part in a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement to assist him to stay out of trouble and get clean.

Judge Smith added: “You have a crack cocaine problem and that costs money. A lot of people who abuse crack cocaine end up stealing, burgling and find themselves in very hot water – you’re at risk of that.”

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