Councillors fund new kit after burglar's raid on Northumberland school

Cambois First School was broken into on Thursday, September 17, with a number of laptops stolen, which later saw Callum Tumilty, 25, jailed after pleading guilty to burglary and other offences.

Now the three county councillors in nearby Bedlington have each contributed £500 from their members’ small schemes allowance so the school can replace the computers.

Cllr Bill Crosby said: “As many of you will be aware, Cambois Primary School suffered a break-in last month which caused significant damage and resulted in IT equipment used by pupils being stolen.

“It was a shocking incident and Cllrs (Malcolm) Robinson, (Russ) Wallace and I were united in wanting to do something to help. Having spoken to the headteacher, we agreed to each provide £500 from our councillor allowances.

“This £1,500 will help to ensure that the school can replace equipment as quickly as possible and also provide more opportunities for children to be learning IT skills.

“I would like to think this is a small contribution to the fantastic community spirit that was shown in response to what happened.

“I was pleased to see on this occasion that the perpetrator was quickly apprehended by Northumbria Police and given a custodial sentence.

“I do hope that the individual in question reflects on the disgust that the local community felt about his mindless actions.”

Tumilty, of South View in Cambois, was caught after he left his phone behind at the crime scene and his mum called, asking for him by name.

He was subsequently charged with burglary, possession of cannabis and four counts of theft and appeared at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 21.

Tumilty pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to a total of 26 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £780 in compensation costs.

Inspector Phil Patterson, of Northumbria Police, welcomed the sentence and praised the officers involved in the case.

He said: “(Tumilty) shamelessly broke into the school and swiped a number of laptops that are used and relied on by students to learn new skills and shape their futures. He should be ashamed by his actions.”

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