A man has claimed he’s been shamed into moving out of a block of flats – after he was caught stealing more than a dozen parcels from his neighbours.
Thomas Faithful, 31, grabbed the parcels which had been left in the open of his building in Boscombe, Bournemouth, ranging from a table, a phone, new shoes, and even a bottle of washing-up liquid.
He narrowly avoided prison for the 16 counts of theft and is now looking for a new home after his probation officer told magistrates he had an ‘extraordinary sense of shame’ for his actions.
Faithful said he would like to apologise to his neighbours in person and that he has found a new house to move into.
The thefts happened at San Remo Towers, a Grade II block of hundreds of flats in Boscombe.
Faithful had only recently moved into the building when he started stealing last August.
All the parcels were dropped off in a communal reception area and Faithful would help himself to them on his way in or out.
One package contained a young neighbour’s new work uniform, which meant he had to start his apprenticeship in his clothes.
Residents grew frustrated at receiving photos of their parcels being dropped off by a delivery driver only to find they weren’t there.
They complained to the building manager and he reviewed the CCTV footage and identified Faithful as the culprit behind the loss of £500 worth of parcels.
He was arrested and charged with theft which he pleaded guilty to.
Nicola Rees, prosecuting, said: ‘Residents had been reporting to staff that their items had been going missing from the block of flats. CCTV showed a male taking items that did not belong to him and this was sent to the police.’
After an officer searched Mr Faithful’s flat, he found the parcels and several other unreported thefts. They’ve since been returned to the residents, the court heard.
Faithful told magistrates in Poole that he was struggling with cocaine use at the time and had little memory of the thefts.
Defending himself, he said: ‘I am trying everything in my power to change my life. My boss is very understanding and I am moving out of the block of flats into a house in West Parley that he owns.’
Magistrates sentenced him to a community order and ordered him to wear an electronic tag for 90 days. He was also ordered to pay £189 in fines and costs.
Presiding magistrate Fiona McKenna told him: ‘We are pleased to see that you are already starting to take responsibility. You have held your hands up and obviously that is what we want to hear as it is clear that you want to change your life.’
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