Teenage thief's parents confiscate his clothes to stop him going out causing trouble

The parents of a teenager who burgled a school have taken his clothes away to stop him from leaving the house and getting into more trouble. The 13-year-old and two friends, who cannot be named for legal reasons, broke into the Grange Junior School, in Franklin Road, Gosport. Fareham’s youth court heard how the trio tripped an alarm which alerted the school’s caretaker.
Prosecutor David Olley told the court what the caretaker found when he got to the school: ‘The staff room had been targeted and it looked as if it had been ransacked. The teachers’ locker doors were all opened up, in the kitchen area all the drawers and the fridge had been opened.’ Contents had been rifled through and several items were stolen including DVDs, pens and pencils, a swimming pool rescue rope and a £10 note.

The 13-year-old, from Gosport, was identified from a fingerprint left on a door during the break in on July 1. Stephen Bentley, defending, said the youngster’s parents had already grounded the boy and stopped him from taking a summer holiday to his grandparents. He added: ‘Since the incident his parents have taken quite strong action against him and continue to do so. They’ve stopped his pocket money and taken his clothes away from him, apart from his underwear, so he physically can’t go out and see the other boys.’

Both parents were also in court. His mother admitted ‘he has had some pretty major blips’ and added: ‘We have let him have his pajamas too.’ District Judge Anne Arnold gave him a three month referral order and ordered him to pay £85 costs and £10 compensation. She said: ‘You’ve spoilt everyone’s summer as well as your own.’ The boy’s mother will pay the fine, but he will work it off through doing household chores. The other two have already been given official reprimands.