Pair jailed over burglary spree at businesses

The haul included thousands in cash from one firm, while another had more than £11,000 worth of tyres stolen and a third narrowly escaped having £60,000 worth of silver taken which had been left on the roof.

Thomas Rose and Royston Hallard targeted Teltyres in Wellington during May 2018, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard.

Mr Stuart Clarkson, prosecuting, said a hole was cut in the metal cladding on the building before 345 tyres were stolen, worth more than £11,300, along with tools valued at £1,000.

CCTV from a neighbouring property showed a white van and an Astra car at the premises.

Both vehicles were later stopped at junction four of the M54, although the stolen tyres were not recovered.

Rose had been driving the van, while Hallard had been in the driving seat of the Astra.

Mr Clarkson said a day or two beforehand the pair also burgled Hollinbrow Precision Products UK on Stafford Park, Telford, taking wiring worth between £300 and £500.

The defendants were arrested after being stopped by police on the M54, but Hallard then went on to commit more burglaries without Rose.

Damaged

In July last year, he broke into Lewis Food Wholesalers in West Bromwich and stole cash.

His DNA was found on a glove left at the scene.

Then in November, he broke into Jointing Technologies in Norton Canes through a window.

Nothing was taken but there was £2,500 worth of damage and Hallard again left his DNA at the scene.

The final burglary took place at Cooksongold in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

There, police found £60,000 worth of silver had been bagged up and left on the roof.

Two men wearing balaclavas were spotted leaving the scene.

Mr Clarkson said Hallard was identified from CCTV and arrested at his home in December last year.

Unattractive

He told the court: “The crown say these are organised matters and in some cases group matters.”

Rose, 22, of no fixed abode, admitted two charges of burglary and Hallard, 25, of Coronation Road, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to five counts of burglary.

Mr Joshua Purser, defending Rose, said he had been in the care system as a young boy and got caught up in crime.

He said: “He is a man who has accrued a fairly unattractive record.

“He tells me he wishes to learn from that. He recognises he has let himself down.”

Mr John Roe, defending Hallard, said when he separated from his partner, he was using cannabis and began committing these crimes.

He added that he had now got an apprenticeship in the building industry in the pipeline.

Judge Anthony Lowe said the burglaries were “clearly planned” and told the pair they each had “really bad records, particularly given [their] age”.

Rose was jailed for two years while Hallard was given a prison sentence of 49 months.