He has been jailed after break-ins at a flat and a garage
Danny Gregson has been jailed(Image: Hull Live)
Blood left at the scene of two burglaries trapped a drug user who broke into a flat and a garage after turning to cannabis, cocaine and other drugs. Danny Gregson later tried to talk his way out of trouble when he was told about the DNA evidence and pretended that he knew nothing about the blood, Hull Crown Court heard.
He told police: “What blood? I very much doubt it.” Gregson, 35, of Greenwood Avenue, north Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted two offences of burglary on March 19 and June 14.
Billy Torbett, prosecuting, said that a man returned to his home in west Hull to discover that the door to his first-floor flat was open. There was damage to the lock area. “All the rooms had been untidily searched,” said Mr Torbett.
Gregson had stolen £100 cash and a TV streaming stick, valued at £80. Police attended and blood discovered on an internal handle was matched to Gregson’s DNA.
He also raided a locked garage in Skidby leaving the front of it damaged, open and unable to be closed fully. Tool boxes and drawers were open and tools, valued at £50, had been stolen.
A Yamaha motorcycle had been tampered with, including wires being cut in the apparent hope of “hot wiring” the bike. Gregson’s DNA was found on the wiring of the motorcycle.
He was arrested on July 8. When he was told about the blood found, he replied: “What blood? I very much doubt it.”
He had convictions for five previous offences, including interfering with a vehicle in 2008. He was in breach of a 21-month suspended prison sentence imposed in July last year for inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said that Gregson began taking cannabis and then cocaine and Pregabalin after a relationship ended. “Quite simply, he got himself into difficulties and turned to this new type of offending,” said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.
“He is genuinely remorseful. This is his first taste of custody and he has found it incredibly difficult.
“He clearly does not want to be back in a position of being in custody again and wants to change his life around. He has always had a good work ethic.
“He hopes to be able to set about work again when he is released from custody. He has detoxed himself. He is more than willing to change his ways.”
Recorder Richard Wright KC told Gregson: “You were detected because you left your DNA at the scene. Your history on the suspended sentence has been poor. These are all offences that are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”
Gregson was jailed for two years and three months. The prison term included a consecutive 15 months for breaching the suspended sentence.
At the previous hearing in July last year, the court was told that a long-running nasty feud between Gregson and another man turned violent when he suddenly “lost it” and started punching his enemy through the open window of a parked car – knocking a front tooth out. A two-year-old girl was in the back of the helpless victim’s car at the time of the ferocious repeated punching attack and she would have been “distressed” at seeing the “persistent” beating.
Gregson admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the man on May 14, 2023. The other man was sitting in his car outside a Cooperative store in 1st Avenue, north Hull, waiting for his partner, who was doing some shopping.
His two-year-old daughter was in the back of the car. Gregson approached him and started punching him through the open window of the car. He tried to force the door open with his foot. The man was unable to defend himself. Gregson grabbed the car keys from the ignition. The attack stopped only when the man’s partner came out of the shop.
The police were alerted. The victim suffered bruising and a cut lip. A front tooth was knocked out during the “persistent” attack.
Gregson was, that day, given a 21-month suspended prison sentence and 150 hours’ unpaid work. He was given a five-year restraining order.
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