A burglar who ransacked dead bodies for jewelry right after breaking into a funeral residence has been jailed.
Marc Griffin, 42, from Devon, tipped ashes on the floor and tried using to steal valuables from people’s remains.
He broke into the chapel of relaxation at Padfields Funeral Support in Barnstaple and rifled by drawers, cupboards and the personal belongings of the deceased, Exeter Crown Court docket listened to.
Griffin, a drug addict with a very long legal file, getting carried out 60 past burglaries, admitted the new offences and was jailed for two yrs and 7 months.
He committed a few industrial burglaries in the early several hours of 13 March, at the funeral parlour, a cafe and a hairdressers, the court docket listened to.
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Prosecutor Althea Brooks mentioned Griffin entered the undertakers on Boutport Street by breaking in by a future doorway store.
She explained he still left the funeral parlour in a “severe condition of disarray” following rifling by cupboards and drawers, getting rid of ashes from bins and leaving his bloody hand prints at the rear of.
Ms Brooks explained baggage of apparel belonging to the deceased were emptied and a sealed letter supposed to be positioned in someone’s coffin was ripped open up and left included with blood marks.
The court heard that Griffin also opened two bags made up of bodies from a mortuary fridge, rummaging by means of them for merchandise to steal.
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Griffin also searched a Mercedes hearse but did not hurt it.
The courtroom listened to 3 statements on behalf of households who had family in the funeral household.
One particular mentioned her mother died in her 90s and had served her region in the war.
“It was a position she ought to have been secure and at peace and rest,” the statement go through.
“When we had been educated someone experienced damaged in and disturbed Mum I was horrified and the complete family members was devastated our beloved one particular was violated in these kinds of a way. We are horrified a person could have done anything like this and find it so incredibly surprising.”
An additional mentioned his “gentleman” 90-yr-aged uncle had been lying in relaxation in his coffin while Griffin rummaged all around close by.
A 3rd mentioned Griffin searched her mom for jewellery.
“Her peaceful sanctity was violated by this vile specific who disturbed my mom at her time of relaxation,” said the statement.
“He has extended the grief and sadness at my mother’s passing. The indescribable foundation actions of this personal have cast a shadow on the memory of our expensive Mum.”
The court docket listened to that Griffin begun his burgling spree at about 3am, utilizing a hammer to smash his way through a window of the Lemon Future To The Pie cafe in Holland Street.
He was caught on CCTV dragging out a until that contained £240 in income. He also stole a mug that contained staff’s ideas but slash his arms on the damaged glass.
After moving on to the funeral house, Griffin also broke into a hair salon, where he stole two pairs of clippers worthy of £50 just about every, an Alexa speaker and hair straighteners worth £100.
He also took cash from two charity containers.
Griffin, who lived in supported accommodation, was traced through a bloody trail and discarded stolen items, as well as a pair of stolen beard trimmers under his bath.
The operator of the cafe claimed she no more time kept income on the premises and had determined to promote the business she had expended many years making due to the fact of the anxiousness and breakdown in have confidence in triggered by the split-in.
The burglaries set Griffin in breach of a 16-7 days suspended sentence imposed in August very last yr for a non-dwelling burglary.
Evie Dean, defending, stated Griffin arrived from a troubled track record in care and his ex had died of a drug overdose.
She claimed he stole to feed his drug habit but was now a grandfather and sorry for what he had finished.
Sentencing Griffin, Choose Paul Prepare dinner instructed him: “Around the years you have tried to burgle and have burgled 60 premises or houses to steal from the living. Right here you have sought to steal from the deceased.
“There was overall indifference and disregard to the harm, soreness and distress that would inevitably trigger to cherished types.”
The choose mentioned Griffin had robbed his victims of their chance to grieve and had “magnified the trauma for them numerous situations above”.< /p>