A brazen burglar who stole from a parish church and raided a cricket pavilion during a match refused to come to court and learn his fate.

Guards at HMP Bullingdon said Raymond Starkings refused to leave his cell ahead of his hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday afternoon, telling his gaolers that as far as he was concerned the ‘court proceedings are complete’.

Around 20 minutes after being told of the 33-year-old’s refusal to leave prison, Judge Nigel Daly finally completed the court proceedings in the defendant’s absence –sentencing the Oxford thief to two years’ imprisonment.

He said he’d deferred sentencing Starkings in April for a series of break-ins at garden centres, pubs and hotels after receiving a letter from the defendant’s partner that claimed he was ‘changed person and was going to be a better man’.

“She said [being remanded in custody] had been an amazing eye-opener for him and that he wanted to start a new life, possibly opening up a business between the two of them,” the judge said.

“However, when I deferred sentence I gave an indication about what was expected of him and looking at the deferred sentence report [from probation] I can see that the conclusion is that he has consistently evidenced a complete disregard for licence conditions and the requirements of the deferred sentence – with his actions being the opposite of what was asked of him.”

Alexandra Bull, prosecuting, said Starkings walked into a staff room at Charlbury garden centre on December 15 and left with a staff member’s bank card, later using it in the village Londis corner shop.

A week later, on December 22, he was caught on camera breaking into the Churchill Court Hotel, Long Hanborough, and walking away with £70 from the bar till. On Christmas Day he walked into the Black Horse pub, Standlake, and pilfered £750 in banknotes from the tip jar.

Having been given a chance by the judge in April, CCTV caught him going into All Saint’s Church, Marcham, on June 17 and stealing an iPad, its charger and some batteries.

On July 24, he aroused the suspicions of a steward at Stanton Harcourt Cricket Club, where the village side was taking on Wolvercote. She alerted the players, who found that more than £200 had been stolen from wallets left in the changing room.

Around ‘eight to 10’ players confronted Starkings. “The defendant denied the theft and said the money he had in his hand was his. He then tried to run,” Ms Bull said. The players recovered £145.

A woman who had been with Starkings at the club tried to drive off in a Citroen Picasso. When she found the steward had shut the gates to the cricket field, she rammed the car into the gates until they gave way.

Each time he was arrested, the defendant refused to leave his police cell. He would not answer questions put to him by officers.

Starkings, formerly of Home Close, Carterton, admitted burglary and fraud at an earlier hearing.

The court was told he had 67 convictions on his record, including four house break-ins and 15 non-dwelling burglaries.

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