Judge warns Facebookers after teenage internet snoop burgles home (From Halesowen News)

Judge warns Facebookers after teenage internet snoop burgles home

4:15pm Monday 23rd July 2012 in News

A TEENAGE internet snoop from Lye burgled a friend’s family home in Halesowen after seeing on Facebook they were away enjoying their holidays.

Ashley Byrd, aged 19, was sentenced to 29 months in a young offenders institution after smashing his way into the home and stealing two laptop computers.

Judge Michael Dudley, to Bird at Wolverhampton Crown Court, said: "This was a particularly mean offence. "You knew the people would be away because you accessed the Facebook page of the daughter of the family.”

And the judge warned people not to broadcast such personal information on the internet.

He said: "People must remember they must not put this sort of information into the public domain. They came back from their break to discover you had caused a lot of damage smashing a window."

Byrd of Gibbs Road, Lye, Stourbridge admitted burgling the property in Wythal Road and stealing two laptop computers valued at £800.

Mr Mark Rees prosecuting said a neighbour of the family heard the sound of breaking glass and when he investigated he saw Byrd running away from the back of the house.

Police officers had already been alerted, he added,and they were able to pick up the teenager who caused £350 damage to the house and the computers were recovered.

Mr Jas Mann defending said Byrd was a drug addict and he realised he had to resolve his problems if he stood any chance of putting his life in order.

He has "personal demons," said Mr Mann and he knows he cannot use them as an excuse to commit crime to fund his addiction.

The Judge told the teenager who had previous convictions for burglary it was clear he was building up a considerable criminal record.