Two burglar brothers from Calverton were this week jailed after breaking into a shop stealing the till, 4,000 scratch cards and a box of cigarettes.
Police say that while trying to leave the scene, one man stole a child’s bike before being caught, the other brother left in a red van driving through people’s front gardens and nearly running over members of the public.
Michael Wilson, 45, was jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to burglary and theft from a person.
Meanwhile, his brother John Wilson, 36, was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to burglary and dangerous driving.
The brothers from Labray Road were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court this week.
The charges relate to a burglary in the morning of December 22, 2019 at a convenience store in Victoria Road in Netherfield.
Two men broke into the shop using bolt croppers to cut a padlock on a gate and smashed through the back door.
While inside they forced open a cabinet and stole packs of cigarettes worth £3,000 and attempted to open the till. They were unable to open it, so stole the whole till, which contained around £250.
The men also took a number of bagged up coins and a whole container of scratch cards worth £1,200.
Cameras fitted within the store sent an alarm activation to the alarm company who contacted the shop’s owner who rang the police.
The footage was used as part of the force’s investigation and showed two hooded men walking down the side of the attacked premises, with the same two men inside stealing the items.A number of witnesses came forward after hearing the commotion.
One spotted a red van parked up outside the shop and reported the registration plate to police. The van drove off, driving erratically away from the scene near to Meadow Cottages in Netherfield.
Later that day, an officer was alerted to the location of the van and attempted to stop it using his emergency equipment. The van failed to stop, with John Wilson driving over two front gardens, along the pavement and going off road, which caused members of the public to jump out of the way.
The burglar then jumped out of the vehicle, but he was chased on foot and arrested.Another eye witness reported seeing a man trying to make off on a bike, which was owned by her son. Officers arrested Michael Wilson later that morning.
Their home in Calverton was searched, with clothes being seized with forensic investigations showing glass fragments visible within the fleece material. Plastic bags which matched the ones used by the shop were also found within their house.
Detective Constable Caroline Bailey led the investigation. She said: “The two Wilson brothers had no regard whatsoever for the victims, or anyone who nearly got run over as they tried to leave the scene.
“It’s very fortunate that no one was injured.
“We want to reassure people that Nottinghamshire Police takes burglary extremely seriously and thoroughly investigates reports.
“Burglary is an incredibly upsetting and impactful crime which can have not only a long-lasting effect for the victim, but the whole wider community too.
“Crimes of this nature can make residents feel frightened or anxious.
“That’s why the force remains committed to tackling and reducing burglary and we will continue to do all we can to pursue offenders and bring them to justice.”
Are you sure it wasn’t worth £12,000? 4,000 scratchcards would be at least £4000 even for the cheapest ones, so £1,200 doesn’t make sense.