Notorious Plymouth man Robert Walker lands himself in trouble again

He's one of the city's most prolific offenders

A man who is well known to police and the courts for smearing his own excrement over cell walls has again been returned to prison.

Robert Walker, now 52-years-old and one of Plymouth's most prolific offenders - appeared at Plymouth Crown Court last week to be sentenced for two offences he was found guilty of following a trial. Walker, of Wyndham Street West, had denied a count of burglary which took place on July 4, 2023 and one count of criminal damage.

The court heard how Walker had used a trade-entrance intercom to gain access to a property at Morley Court on that day. His jury heard how he first used the intercom to gain access to the communal area of the building, effectively blagging his way in by claiming he was looking for a named person.

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He then made attempts to enter individual properties claiming he was looking for a named friend, but was turned away on two occasions.

However, he eventually came across a property belonging to a 77-year-old man who had left his front door open as it was a hot day. Walker entered and swiped a Samsung A12 mobile phone worth £150 and then left the building.

However, following inquiries by police, Walker was spotted on the building's CCTV and quickly identified by officers who knew him from numerous previous offences.

As a result he was found by police just 10 days later and charged that night with burglary, despite the phone not being recovered. During his time in the cells at Charles Cross police station custody suite, Walker smeared his own blood and excrement on the cell wall, the cell hatch mechanism and the cell intercom, resulting in the charge of criminal damage to police property.

Rather than risk him repeating the offence at another location, he later appeared via video link at Plymouth Magistrates' Court.

Despite denying the offences, the jury found him guilty of both offences on Friday July 26.

PlymouthLive reports from 2022 saw the courts told that Walker had 72 convictions for 210 offences, with a prosecuting barrister stating his offending covered the "spectrum" of offending, including robbery and assault. The court was told at that time that Walker had a "propensity for violence, especially towards the police" as well as a "propensity for dirty protests".

Walker was banned from keeping pets for life in 2005 after he failed to veterinary help for his badly injured dog Tammy. When police found his terrier she was cowering under Walker's bed. A vet's examination revealed 18 burn marks on the skull of the pet, which had been repeatedly punched in the face so four teeth were broken.

At his latest hearing, the judge handed Walker a prison sentence of 30 months for the burglary offence and six weeks for the criminal damage to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228 and was handed a restraining order preventing him from attending Morley Court again until a further order was made.

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