Duo jailed over £20k store raid

TWO career criminals stole more than £20,000 worth of satnavs from a Halfords' warehouse.

Kenneth Mould, aged 28, who has 15 previous convictions for non-dwelling burglaries, entered the warehouse in Victoria Road, Fenton, on the evening of August 4 this year.

He gained access through a skylight wearing a torch attached to a headband, which was later found at his address.

His co-accused Gary Shaw, aged 27, who has 23 previous convictions for dishonesty, acted as a lookout, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Phillip Beardwell said the break-in followed a burglary at Curry's, also in Victoria Road, on July 28, when laptops and satnav systems worth more than £2,000 were stolen. A trainer footprint was found at the scene, which was later found to match Mould's trainers.

On August 4, both defendants went to Halfords where they masked the CCTV and burglar alarm.

A cage in which items of high value were kept was cut, causing £10,000 damage and satnavs worth £21,005.80 were stolen.

The two defendants made off on mountain bikes, also stolen from the store.

A footprint was found below the skylight, which was again found to match Mould's trainers.

Mr Beardwell said CCTV showed one intruder entering the warehouse with a torch strapped to his head.

Mould, aged 28, of Baskerville Road, Northwood, pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary and asked for two further burglaries at Curry's on July 27 and 30 to be taken into consideration.

At the time of the offences he was subject to a suspended sentence.

Shaw, of Renown Close, Eaton Park, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Stephen Oldham, for Mould, said his client had a long history of similar offending, motivated by his use of alcohol and cocaine.

Jason Holt, mitigating for Shaw, said, despite his record, his client had no previous convictions for commercial burglary.

He said Shaw had made efforts to turn his life around but went back to his old ways after losing his job, his partner and his mother falling ill.

Judge Mark Eades jailed Mould for three years, telling him: "You have made a career decision to finance your lifestyle in two different ways – shoplifting and committing commercial burglaries.

"There is not the slightest suggestion you are going to reform."

The judge described Shaw as a "thoroughly dishonest person" and jailed him for 16 months.

"You were not the prime mover, but you were an active participant," said Judge Eades. "You kept watch when the burglary took place. It was a high value burglary."