Burglar's stolen car breaks down after jewellery raid
A burglar who stole more than £11,000 of items from a house made his escape in an Audi Quattro parked on the drive – only to be forced to abandon the car when it broke down moments later.
Darren Edwards took the car during a raid on a house in Red Lake, Telford, when he also took a 50-inch and a 40-inch television, gold jewellery worth £5,000 and a laptop. He targeted the house in August while the owners were on holiday, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told.
But he only managed to get a short distance away before the car developed a fault, causing him to abandon it.
Edwards, 34, of Gloucester Avenue, Dawley, Telford, was jailed for two years and 146 days when he appeared in court yesterday. He had admitted a charge of burglary at an earlier hearing.
Mr Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, said the occupants had been on holiday when Edwards broke in sometime between August 21 and 23.
Sentimental
He stole items including the televisions, gold jewellery worth £5,000, a laptop and keys to an Audi Quattro. He used the car for his getaway but abandoned it when it developed a fault.
"The jewellery was of great sentimental value, some of which dated back to the occupant's girlfriend's childhood," Mr Thomas said. The court was told forensic evidence helped to pin Edwards to the offence. He confessed to committing the burglary but later retracted what he said.
Mr Paul Smith for Edwards said that his client had previous convictions going back many years. He urged to court to pass the most lenient sentence it could, adding: "He is not without his own vulnerability. He has spent the majority of his adult life in custody which he says is an easier environment in which to live."
Judge Peter Barrie said Edwards had committed a very serious burglary with a large amount of items stolen. "Burglary has a profound effect on the victims," he said.
