Why you shouldnt get involved in metal theft

James Sorby was so badly burnt his daughter was unable to recognise him. He suffered the electric shock when trying to steal copper from a sub-station in Leeds.

These are the horrendous injuries suffered by a man after he was hit by 22,000 volts while stealing copper cable from an electricity sub-station.
James Sorby, 22, was burnt so badly that his daughter was unable to recognise him. He had been trying to take cabling from an electricity sub-station in a disused Post Office sorting room in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
But before he could even touch the cable, a massive charge jumped a gap to his body and he suffered severe burns to his face and hands, a weakened heart, lost partial sight in his left eye and lost movement in one of his hands.

Sorby endured weeks in hospital where he underwent five operations and skin grafts and he faces more surgery, including a hair transplant over a skull wound which exposed his brain. This was caused by the electricity exiting his body
Sorby, of Leeds, pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates Court to trespass with intent to steal.
Prosecutor Vicky Trueman said that despite danger warnings, Sorby and two others went to steal cabling from a sub-station on January 27. 
But he was electrocuted before he had a chance to steal and his accomplices called an ambulance.
Exposed copper cabling and flashmarks were later found, along with blood identified as Sorby's. He was arrested on May 23 after five months in hospital and accepted the offence.
Abbi Whelan, mitigating, told the court the consequences for Sorby were 'catastrophic' and he had assisted the police who were eager to alert people to the dangers of the increasing number of cable thefts. 
Speaking after his court case, Sorby said he remembered nothing after entering the warehouse.
He said: 'The next thing I remember is the ambulance arriving, I was in a bad way.
'They cut off my clothes, there was blood everywhere.
'The pain was unbelievable and the doctors told me I only survived because I am so young and fit.'
The incident had a major impact on his mother Diane and the rest of the family, some of whom flew from Australia to be at his bedside. 
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Oddy said: 'Metal theft is increasingly popular because of its rising value, but with it comes the life-endangering risks that thieves are taking for the sake of making some quick money.
'James Sorby is extremely lucky to be alive to tell the tale. I hope his story makes people take his advice and think twice before getting involved in metal theft.'