Police find 188 stolen nature books
AN obsessive nature lover nested more than £3,000 worth of stolen books away at his home, a court has heard.
When police swooped on Alan Hunter Birchall's Newbiggin home they found shelves stacked with 188 volumes on birds and natural history which had been taken over a period of years from Barter Books in Alnwick.
And a further 52 belonging to Northumberland libraries were also found.
At first Birchall and his wife Heather, both 42, denied theft and handling stolen goods, but changed their plea to guilty on the day they were due to stand trial.
Mrs Birchall was given a 12-month conditional discharge, and at Alnwick
Magistrates' Court, her husband received a community-based sentence.
Prosecutor Jonathan Moore said: "It was during a stock check on January 23 that staff at Barter Books noticed one of their books was missing.
"Checking the CCTV they noticed the defendant standing in that section, removing books from the display."
The Birchalls returned on February 8 and were seen in the birds and natural history section.
Mr Moore said: "He was moving books while Mrs Birchall was giving him signs and keeping a look out further down the aisle.
"They left the premises and drove away, but their number was taken.
"At least two books were missing from the display."
But when police raided the Birchalls' home at Storey Crescent in Newbiggin, they found a haul worth around 3,000.
Birchall became aggressive and threatening when confronted, and was warned he would be tasered if he persisted.
All the books, bar one worth 46, were recovered.
Kate Matthews, defending, described Birchall as "interested to the point of obsession" with ornithology and natural history.
"He does have something of an obsessive personality," she said.
At an earlier hearing, Birchall denied stealing the bulk of the books, claiming that he had bought them at sales.
He was charged with one theft and two offences of handling stolen goods, while his wife was charged with theft.
Passing sentence, chairman of the bench Andrew Nichol described Birchall's actions as "serious".
He was ordered to carry out a 12-month community order with the Probation Service, and to pay 200 court costs and 23 compensation.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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