A man who committed a series of break-ins days after he was released from jail has been sentenced to another four years behind bars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
James David Thorn, 24, was on Tuesday sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court after pleading guilty to charges of burglary and theft.
The court heard Thorn was released from jail on parole only days before breaking into three southside homes in March and April 2012.
Thorn forced entry to the homes while the residents were absent, taking a computer, video camera, jewelry, phones and a hearing aid.
Only the camera was recovered by police.
Thorn was identified as the culprit through fingerprints and DNA left at the crime scenes.
He was arrested in April 2012 and has been in custody since.
His lawyer, Alyn Doig, argued the sentence should not be “crushing” as his client had been institutionalised, having spent nine years of his life in custody after fleeing a life of neglect and abuse by his parents at age 11.
Mr Doig said Thorn developed drug and alcohol problems at a young age, but had attempted to address the abuse through rehabilitation programs in jail.
Justice John Nield sentenced Thorn to four years behind bars, backdated to take into account time spent in custody, with a non-parole period of three years.
Thorn will be eligible for release in April 2015.
Justice Nield said Thorn had shown no remorse and did not display good prospects of rehabilitation.
“I think his future will be like his past, a life of alcohol, drugs and crime,” the judge said.
