Man is sentenced following burglary of children's day care centre in Ballymena
A man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to burglary with intent to steal at a children's day care centre.
The 27-year-old committed offences at Norwood Children's Day Care Centre in Ballymena on Friday March 20 this year.
Nicholas McCrudden, of Dunvale in Ballymena, also pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage to windows at the centre and interfering with vehicles there on March 20.
He was at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday. A prosecutor said a break in happened at 5am and police noted damage to windows which cost £480 to fix.
Doors of vehicles parked at the premises were also opened. The court was told nothing was stolen.
CCTV showed two suspects and the defendant was identified from DNA from blood on a floor.
A prosecutor said the second suspect "was never identified as there were no forensics in relation" to that person.
A defence solicitor said committing the crime at the nursery was "completely random" and the defendant had expressed "disgust that he ended up damaging a business that is used by young children".
She said the defendant, who had a record, had "addiction issues" and there was gap in offending since 2019. Recently, the solicitor said, the defendant had "fallen in with a couple of people and gone off the rails badly".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said it was a "significant aggravating feature" that damage had been caused to a children's nursery.
The defendant was put on Probation for a year with a condition that he gets addiction treatment. He also has to pay compensation of £480 for the damage.