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Assimilation in the UK, where the 1971 Coca-Cola advert doesn't quite match up.

Burglar who raided mosque and family home pretended to be teen boy before true age discovered

'A serial burglar pretended he was under 18 when he was arrested. Mustafa Mohammad-Chtiaba raided
a restaurant, a family home and Middlesbrough's central mosque. He also snatched a watch off a man
in the street and pick-pocketed two other men.


Mustafa Mohammad-Chtiaba.

Mohammad-Chtiaba was sentenced for a previous burglary in the youth court - where he walked out with
a referral order in September last year. Authorities have since found out that he is 22.

Mohammad-Chtiaba's crime spree began on February 25 of last year. He approached a man in Newcastle,
who was enjoying a night out with friends. Whilst distracting his victim with questions, Mohammad-Chtiaba
stole his victim's wallet from his back pocket. The man's bank later called to say someone had tried to use
his bank card.

Later that night, Mohammad-Chtiaba asked a different man for a lighter. The second victim was standing
outside a kebab shop - he later realised that his iPhone, which contained childhood photos, was missing.
The phone was worth £900.

Weeks later, on March 9, the serial thief asked a third man for a lighter in Newcastle city centre. He then
fist-bumped his victim and shook his hand, knocking the man off-balance. As the man fell, Mohammad
-Chtiaba removed his Tissot watch from his wrist. The watch was valued at £300. The victim was later able
to identify Mohammad-Chtiaba in an ID parade.

Six months later, Mohammad-Chtiaba began targeting Middlesbrough businesses:
*On September 28, he burgled the Havana Restaurant and Shisha Lounge on Linthorpe Road.
He managed to get in through a broken window and stole £150 from the till. He was caught after
blood found at the scene was matched to his DNA

*On October 10 2024, a man spotted Mohammad-Chtiaba at the back of his house, on Roman Road
in Middlesbrough. The homeowner managed to keep hold of him until the police arrived. A quick search
revealed the he had a hammer and multi-tool knife with him. He was arrested and granted bail while
police carried out enquiries.

*On October 11, he burgled a family home in Middlesbrough. As children slept upstairs, Mohammad-Chtiaba
helped himself to an Amazon Kindle, cash, handwritten letters and a pencil case. The back door was still open
when the mother got up at 7am that morning. Police found Mohammad-Chtiaba's fingerprints at the scene.
Mohammad-Chtiaba was arrested on suspicion of burgling the family home on November 4.
He had cocaine on him. He was granted bail for the second time while police investigated.

*On January 6 and 10, he broke into the central mosque on Southfield Road in Middlesbrough. He was
captured on CCTV with another man, who has never been identified. They stole cash from two different safes.

The court heard that Mohammad-Chtiaba and his accomplice stole between £500 and £600 from the mosque.
Cash from one of the safes had been collected for charity. The money from the second safe was to fund the
running of the mosque.

The family who were burgled were so badly affected, that the mum and dad took it in turns to stay awake in
the nights after October 11, until security cameras could be installed.

Mohammad-Chtiaba pleaded guilty to the three thefts and fraud; four counts of burglary; going equipped for
burglary; and to the possession of a class A drug. In mitigation Shaun Dryden told the court that his client
had been "the victim of exploitation" and that he has no stable accommodation; no support network and
no income.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that the burglar's immigration status is not known. He arrived in the UK
when he was 17. "He's been on remand since January last year" Mr Dryden said. "It's his first time in prison
and it's very hard because of his language difficulties. He will be homeless when he is released."
Mohammad-Chtiaba listened through an Arabic interpreter as Judge Edward Legard told him: "I'm prepared
to give you the benefit of the doubt, that following your arrival in the UK, you were subject to a degree of
exploitation. Your immigration status remains unresolved - it may be that you are deported upon release.

"The probation service have assessed you as posing a high risk of causing serious harm to members of the
public." Mohammad-Chtiaba, formerly of Balfour Terrace in Linthorpe, but now of no fixed address, was jailed
for 33-months. The seven months he has spent on remand will be subtracted from his sentence...'

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