Man who raided Bridgnorth pub for cash and fruit machines jailed
A man involved in a burglary in which cash and gaming machines were taken from a village pub has been jailed.
Shane Wear was said to have been one of at least two people who raided the Three Horseshoes in Wheathill, near Bridgnorth, almost a year ago.
He was arrested after police traced an abandoned car parcel shelf to a vehicle owned by his wife.
Wear was jailed for 21 months when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court having admitted being involved in the burglary at the pub on September 4 last year.
The 38-year-old was also ordered for forfeit £228 that had been seized by police as compensation under Proceeds of Crime Act regulations.
The court heard that Wear, of Sandford Road in Ludlow, had an extensive criminal record and had committed 118 offences involving dishonesty, burglary, violence, drugs and offensive weapons.
Mr John Oates, prosecuting, said the landlord and his family were upstairs and asleep at the Three Horseshoes in the earlier hours when the thieves got in through an insecure cellar door.
He said that at least two people were involved and the raiders were wearing gloves and stocking masks.
They stole £420 in cash, including a tray containing the staff's tips, and took away three fruit machines.
He said part of the incident was caught on the pub's CCTV system and despite the mask two police officers were both able to identify the defendant.
Officers also found a VW Golf parcel shelf that had been discarded to enable the burglars to load the gaming machines into the car.
Mr Oates said the shelf was linked to a car owned by Wear's wife that was later found abandoned with its parcel shelf missing.
Miss Jane Sarginson, for Wear, said her client had attempted to turn his life around and got married and had a young child.
He had trained to work on the railways, but an eye injury had deteriorated and he had lost the job and he fell into a negative spiral, she said.
There were issues with alcohol and he had been penniless and did not have the strength of character to say no, but was ashamed of having let his family down, Miss Sarginson told the court.
