Prolific offender jailed

A prolific offender known as the ‘marigold burglar’ has been jailed again after he pleaded guilty to handling property which had been stolen during a series of burglaries in Cheshire.

Gary Clifton appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 28 February where he was sentenced to two years in prison.

The 59-year-old of Solvay Road, Manchester, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of handling stolen property.

Operation China began in November 2022 when officers at Macclesfield CID became aware of a series of burglaries in the Poynton and Disley areas where the offenders were stealing cash, pottery and antiques.

Extensive enquiries were undertaken by the team at Macclesfield, including CCTV and forensics, and patrols were also stepped in the local area.

Then, at around 5am on Sunday 15 January 2023, police were called to reports of a suspicious man in the Coppice Road area of Poynton.

Officers were deployed to the scene and on arrival they came across a man on a bicycle who was loitering in the area and matched the description of the suspect in the burglary series.

Police attempted to engage with the man, but he quickly dumped his bike and fled the scene on foot.

The bike was recovered by officers, along with a water bottle which was mounted on the frame. Subsequent forensic tests were conducted and traces of Clifton’s DNA were found on the bottle.

Clifton had an extensive history of offending and had previously gained the nickname of the ‘Marigold burglar’ following a series of high value burglaries in 2001 where he wore rubber gloves.

He had only been released from prison in 2021 after serving a previous sentence for another series of burglaries in Cheshire which had occurred in 2016.

Following the DNA hit, detectives conducted further enquiries into Clifton, including mobile phone checks which placed him at the scene of many of the burglaries. The data also showed several calls to an auction house in Stockport.

Financial checks were also conducted which showed several payments into Clifton’s account from the auction house.

Officers initially believed that the payments would be for items stolen during the 2022 – 23 burglary series, however they were shocked to discover that they were for items which he had stolen in 2016, during his previous period of offending.

A warrant was subsequently conducted at Clifton’s homes in Manchester on Tuesday 18 April where officers recovered some of the stolen items. Clifton was subsequently arrested at his workplace.

Following his arrest, Clifton denied any involvement in the 2022–23 burglary series, however he admitted that he had been selling the items that he had stolen in 2016.

Despite his denial, he was subsequently charged in connection with the incidents from 2016 and 2022-23.

Upon appearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday 29 January for a trial, Clifton pleaded guilty to handling stolen property in relation to all of the incidents from both 2016 and 2022-23.