Burglar walks into Downing Street

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A serial burglar who broke into 10 Downing Street has been given a final opportunity to avoid prison.

Obadiah Marius, 45, sparked a major security alert when he was found wandering around the Whitehall Cabinet Office last June.

The break-in came three months after he strolled into private chambers at Snaresbrook Crown Court and walked off with some judges' laptops.

Sentence was postponed to assess his suitability for drug rehabilitation.

Marius, from Stratford, east London, who has more than 30 previous criminal convictions, admitted one count of burgling the court in March last year, and a second charge, burglary with intent, relating to the Downing Street matter.

Southwark Crown Court judge Christopher Hardy agreed to a defence request for a further adjournment.

He said this would enable checks to see whether the career criminal would be suitable for a residential drug rehabilitation order.

'Buzzed through'

Giles Curtis-Raleigh, prosecuting, said although the east London court complex was open, court 20 was empty when Marius walked in "unchallenged".

From there he gained access to judges' chambers and the laptops.

An earlier hearing was told he was with his girlfriend when he breached Downing Street's security by walking through a still open door someone had just used.

"He was then buzzed through various doors inside, or at least one door, before being detained by security staff," prosecution counsel said.

Marius's 20-year-old girlfriend, Victoria Vaitekunaite, was initially charged with the Downing Street matter as well.

She denied the charge and was formally cleared after prosecution decided to offer no evidence.