Jailed: Heartless burglars smashed their way into charity shops for cash
Three heartless burglars who targeted charity shops in a spate of break-ins across Shropshire and in Wales have been sent to jail.
Wayne Hutchinson, 31, and Jordan Hickman, 28, conspired to break into dozens of charity shops across Telford to steal hundreds of pounds at a time – and when they began attracting attention they went further afield to Oswestry, Bridgnorth and even Rhyl on the north Wales coast.
They were joined in two of their outings by Thomas Shipton, 27, who would act as a lookout while the others ransacked shops, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard yesterday.
The crime spree took place in December 2019 and January 2020.
On December 3, the pair broke into premises including the Severn Hospice shop in Shifnal, taking hundreds of pounds and causing more than £1,000 in damage.
Over the next five weeks they would target shops in Lawley, Wellington, Ludlow, Welshpool, Oswestry, Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock.
In early January they jokingly prepared for “hols” in Wales.
In Rhyl they targeted the British Heart Foundation and the Athena tattoo shop.
Then on January 6 they travelled to Market Drayton and smashed their way into the Sue Ryder and Oxfam shops, taking cash and rings.
Hutchinson and Hickman, along with their occasional co-conspirator Shipton, were all charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and pleaded guilty.
Hutchinson, of Withywood Drive in Malinslee, received a sentence of three years and nine months – the same sentence as Shipton, of Gloucester Avenue in Dawley.
Hickman, of Bembridge in Telford, was sentenced to four years and 10 months, as well as a concurrent 18-month sentence for a separate burglary.
