A PROLIFIC thief with 85 previous convictions swiped a charity collection tin from a bingo hall.

Matthew David Holland joined Apollo Bingo in a bid to ‘do something together’ with his partner.

On August 30 he went into the bingo hall at Hollywood Retail Park, walked up to the reception desk and stole a collection tin raising money for St Mary’s Hospice.

It was estimated the tin contained around £30 in coins.

Appearing via video link from Preston Prison at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on Thursday the 39-year-old pleaded guilty to theft.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre told the court that Holland, of Newport Street in Barrow, was last before the courts in 2018 when he was jailed for 14 months for burglary.

“At 11.43am on Friday August 30 he entered Apollo Bingo, remained in the reception area, and was captured on CCTV and seen walking up to the desk and removing a box from the counter top.”

The court heard the collection tin was raising money for St Mary’s Hospice.

Mr Dacre told magistrates Holland had 85 previous convictions - 30 of these are for theft.

Defence solicitor Liz Phizacklea said Holland had since been into the bingo hall to apologise.

“He tells me that he has recently moved in with his partner; he was previously living with his cousin,” she said.

“Him and his partner wanted to do something together so they joined the bingo.

“He says his actions were stupid and describes himself as an idiot.

“He has been into the bingo hall since and apologised to the owner and says when he is released from custody he plans to go back and repay the money he has taken.

“He has employment for when he is released from custody.

“He has been seen by someone from The Well who has assisted him in getting accommodation for when he is released.

“He is fully aware that he will receive a custodial sentence.”

Court clerk Tom Warren told magistrates that Holland’s offence was ‘a particularly callous theft’.

“Offences of theft of this nature are particularly callous; because of the effect of the theft on that charity and the people they assist is why the harm is greater than a simple unsophisticated theft of cash,” he said.

Holland, of Conway Gardens on Walney, was subject to a suspended sentence at the time of the offence.

Magistrates activated the suspended sentence and also jailed him for 14 days for the theft.

The chair of the bench said: "The money in the collection box was meant for a charity in the local area.

"We believe a custodial sentence is appropriate because of your previous offending and the fact that when the offence was committed you would have been on post-sentence supervision."

Holland was also ordered to pay £30 compensation to St Mary’s Hospice, £85 costs and a £122 victim surcharge.