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Croydon Google Earth lead thief jailed after being caught again in Worcester Park

2:00pm Monday 20th April 2009


A thief who used Google Earth to target buildings with lead tiles has been sentenced to jail after he was caught stealing for the second time to fund his champagne lifestyle.

Tom Berge, 27, of Thornton Heath, was spotted by police running across a roof in Central Road, Worcester Park on Saturday April 4 and was later arrested in Longfellow Road.

At Sutton Magistrates Court on Monday, April 6 Berge pleaded guilty to stealing lead and also admitted stealing a ladder from a vehicle in Station Approach, Cheam, on March 6.

Magistrates sentenced Berge, who gave a hotel address in Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, to 12 months' prison.

Receiving his sentence, Berge said: “Cool. No worries. Thank you.”

The sentencing follows an earlier eight-month suspended jail term, 100 hours of community service and a curfew order imposed on Berge on March 11 after he was found guilty of stripping £100,000 of valuable lead from grade A listed historic buildings.

During the hearing Berge declared to magistrates that his life of crime was behind him.

However, in subsequent conversations with police, Berge revealed how he was finding it difficult to give up the money he got from stealing lead to fund his “champagne lifestyle in posh hotels”.

Among the buildings he stole from in the six-month spree were Honeywood Museum in Carshalton, Sutton High School for Girls and Croydon Parish Church.

Magistrates heard how Berge would find a potential target on the popular internet tool, which shows aerial photographs of towns across the world, to pinpoint buildings with lead roof tiles.

He would then scale its roof, take the valuable roof materials and abseil down the side of the building, before selling the lead to scrap metal dealers.

Berge admitted using his computer to carry out more than 30 separate offences.

Google Earth is a virtual computer-generated globe launched in 2005.

It provides 3D views of the planet and allows you to zoom in on towns at street level.

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SteveC1964, Kingston says...
2:56pm Mon 20 Apr 09

I've just discovered that I must be psychic! I just knew that when he got a suspended sentence that the left theft spree would not stop. And lo! it did not. I guess he won't even do 3 months of the new sentence. Clealry from his attitude he doesn't consider this to be much of a punishment. Expect more thefts in August. The police must be livid.

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SteveC1964, Kingston says...
2:57pm Mon 20 Apr 09

I've just discovered that I must be psychic! I just knew that when he got a suspended sentence that the left theft spree would not stop. And lo! it did not. I guess he won't even do 3 months of the new sentence. Clearly from his attitude he doesn't consider this to be much of a punishment. Expect more thefts in August. The police must be livid.

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Tony from Surbiton, Surbiton says...
5:10pm Mon 20 Apr 09

Totally agree SteveC1964. I expect he'll spend the 6 weeks inside, scouring the internet for his next victims.

He does do a good sad face though!

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jjsmithy, Worcester Park(Kingston) says...
9:45pm Mon 20 Apr 09

Surely 6 weeks is too long! its against all human rights and all that bull! ;-)

Absolute pathetic, its theft and vandalism, should be talking years not months!

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Brien Sewer-, Tarring, W.Sussex says...
9:05am Tue 21 Apr 09

He should have got 5 years then he would not have said cool

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Just Me 09, Sutton Surrey says...
11:54am Tue 21 Apr 09

What do you really want him to say to a prison sentence. Would you prefer him to kick up a huge fuss. Would that make all you pathetic people happier?
Why are you wasting your time arguing about the length of time he recieved nothing you say will change what he has been given.
This crime is such a common thing many people are doing it nowadays due to lack of money . This does not mean i am saying what he is doing is right as i do not think this, he did take it to an extreme level. But why should he be sentenced to years in prison to learn more tricks of the trade! As we all know this is where they get there ideas from in the first place!
Anyway don't always believe what they put in the papers!!

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Fred1, Surbiton says...
11:31pm Tue 21 Apr 09

Yeah I'm with JM09. When the world's first ever prison started accepting inmates in Philadelphia in 1790, it wasn't even intended to be a type of punishment. Instead, the theory was that it was supposed to give criminals a chance to reflect on the error of their ways, so that when they were released, they would come out as reformed characters, capable of taking a more honest and useful role in their dealings with the wider society.

Unfortunately, the powers that be quickly discovered that it didn't really work; when people were released, they were even more crazy and prone to criminality than they were when they first went in. They even discovered that this happened with the innocent people who were sent to prison by mistake; in other words, it didn't matter whether people were guilty or innocent, either way, prison had the same effect on them.

Despite this, it was still considered more humane than putting people in stocks and publicly humiliating them, which was the more common form of punishment before prison was invented.

I'm not quite sure why we still have prisons to tell you the truth. We pour loads of taxpayer money into it, but it's not as if they really make a difference; at least, not for the better, anyway.

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SteveC1964, Kingston says...
10:30am Wed 22 Apr 09

Dear "Just Me 09": If Berge had been locked up for the 3x four month sentences as he'd previously been given on 11th March, (except that the wishy-washy magistrates made one of them a concurrent sentence and then 'suspended' them), then we'd have been spared 12 months of his wrecking public buildings, community halls, churches and the like. And he wouldn't have been caught on 4th April.

Oh, and how about the 33 other offences he owned up to? He stole £100,000 worth of lead. The cost of repairs and replacements and the damage done must run into a million or more. 100 hours unpaid work and £100 costs awarded against him and a curfew clearly were no deterrent because he was out on his toes stealing and wrecking.

Hang on. You're Berge aren't you?

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scoffer, Beckenham says...
2:30pm Thu 23 Apr 09

He'll probably be in Brixton using the internet and Google Earth for his next batch of crimes.

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Google Earth lead thief jailed after being caught for second time Google Earth lead thief jailed after being caught for second time


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