This is the shocking moment a serial criminal with a staggering 235 convictions tries to smash his way through the windows of the Newcastle United Football Club shop.
James Gamble was caught on camera using a large plank of wood and then a heavy parasol base to hit glass panels at the front of the St James' Park store, which sells Newcastle United football memorabilia and strips.
He failed in his bid to get inside the Newcastle city centre building but caused £2,000 damage in the process.
CCTV footage from inside the shop shows Gamble, dressed in a flourescent orange workman's jacket, using a large plank of wood, which is wrapped in material, to ram at the glass doors and window.
One of the windows does start to crack and Gamble then puts down the wood, which he replaces with a heavy parasol base to continue his battering attack.
After a few more attempts to break through the glass, the footage shows Gamble walk away empty handed, after wiping his finger prints from the parasol base with the material that had been wrapped around the wood.
Newcastle Crown Court heard when police viewed the footage of his attempted break-in on August 17, they immediately recognised the crook, who was already on a community order and a suspended prison sentence.
The court heard his long criminal record includes four offences against the person, two against property, 130 for theft and dishonesty, four for public order, 29 against police, courts and prisons, seven for weapons including firearms and 26 miscellaneous.Gamble, 52, of Ellesmere Road, Newcastle, admitted attempted burglary and possessing three wraps of crack cocaine on a separate occasion when he was searched in the city.
Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced him to 18 months behind bars.
The judge said: "On the morning, outside of normal office hours, you attacked the front windows of the NUFC shop causing damage in the order of about £2,000 but not actually gaining access to the shop.
"Your activities were caught on cctv and no doubt you were recognised by officers who saw that cctv."
Lucy Todd, defending, said Gamble has mental health problems and an erratic lifestyle.
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