Burglar with criminal record 'to be weighed rather than read' is jailed again
A man with a criminal record to be “weighed rather than read” has been jailed again for a burglary at student accommodation in Belfast.
Michael McNally was handed a four-month sentence after he admitted carrying out the raid to steal a mobile phone from a staff area in the accommodation facilities.
The 38-year-old, of Cliftonpark Avenue in the city, has now amassed a total of 461 convictions.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he ‘tailgated’ behind residents to get into the Student Roost block at Great Patrick Street on March 22.
CCTV footage identified McNally going through barriers and behind a desk in staff quarters before taking the phone and then exiting the building. McNally pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary.
Defence solicitor Pearse MacDermott said a previous judge described his client’s criminal past as “a record you weigh rather than read”.
McNally is already in prison on a sentence imposed last month for theft and disorderly behaviour.