Stefan Ralston (34), with an address given as no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to charges of burlgarly of a property and stealing what was referred to on a charge sheet as 'electrical items'. A charge of having wire cutters for use in burglary was withdrawn by prosecutors. The charges related to January 20/21 this year.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. The defendant appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday, June 25, via video link from prison. A prosecutor said on January 20 a "PSNI guardian alarm" was activated at an unoccupied property in Ballymena and "police responded to the alarm activation".
Later that evening police found entry had been forced to the property where a lock had been tampered with. The prosecutor said the PSNI noticed that "police equipment, which had a guardian alarm, and CCTV equipment had been removed with the wiring left behind which appeared to have been cut. The approximate value of the equipment taken was £6,500".
The prosecutor said police were still in attendance at the flat and at 1.45am on January 21 the defendant entered the front door "into the internal hallway" and made off when he realised officers were there. He was stopped nearby and when arrested a pair of cutters and a torch were in his pocket.
Advertisement Advertisement A search took place at a nearby property where the defendant .
