PROLIFIC BURGLAR BEHIND BARS

A prolific burglar who led his gang on a remorseless country-wide crime spree was today, Friday, November 1, jailed for seven years at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Cheshire Police led on the investigation into the activities of Jerry Berry, aged 27, and his gang, who committed a string of burglaries at homes across the UK in the summer of 2012.

Berry and his associates would break into homes, stealing cash and valuables, and then take the prestige car − often an Audi or BMW − parked outside.

In most cases the victims of these crimes were at home when the burglaries occurred. Once the gang had made their escape they would set fire to the stolen car in a bid to evade detection.

The court heard how Berry, who comes from Wrexham, was the leader and co-ordinator of a gang which was made up mainly of members of his own family. He showed no family loyalty, however. On several occasions he fled the scene of crimes in stolen vehicles, abandoning family members to face arrest.

DS Michael Ankers said: “This has been a detailed and highly complicated investigation by Cheshire Constabulary. Jerry Berry is a dangerous and prolific individual who coordinated a group of younger family members into committing a number of high value burglaries. His sentence reflects his disregard to the criminal justice system and society in general.”

Timeline:

The 2012 burglaries were committed in Cheshire, North Wales, Shropshire, the West Midlands and Buckinghamshire. This crime spree began when Berry absconded from a bail hostel in Bangor, North Wales on June 1. He had been staying in the bail hostel after being released from prison having served three years of a six year sentence he received in 2009 for a series of violent burglaries in Cheshire and Wales.

Berry broke into the nearby home of an elderly disabled couple and stole their car to make his escape. He contacted his gang and over the next two months they embarked on a series of crimes.

On the evening of June 10, 2012 at an address in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire a young woman was asleep upstairs in her bedroom with her window open when the gang climbed through this window as she slept, stole her handbag and keys to a BMW. The gang made then made their get away in this vehicle which was later found abandoned in Wolverhampton.

On the June 12 in Hawarden, North Wales Berry and his gang brazenly targeted two addresses during the day. They smashed windows to get in and at one of the addresses stolen the pension money belonging to an 89 year old man.

On July 16 in Gobowen, Shropshire the a woman returned home and parked her Audi sports car on her driveway. The woman then noticed two men on her driveway who she challenged.

Thinking they had gone she entered her home but a short time later noticed that her handbag was missing from her study and looking outside, that her Audi had gone from the driveway. Later that month (July 2012) Berry was driving this stolen Audi in Chester. He attempted to drive across the A41 near Vicars Cross, a busy trunk road, which resulted in him colliding into another motor vehicle. Both vehicles were written off and the driver of the vehicle Berry hit was injured requiring hospital treatment. Berry himself got out of the stolen Audi, he showed no concern towards the driver of the vehicle he had just collided with and proceeded to make a get away on foot. Members of the public who has witnessed this terrible scene tried to stop Berry but he made threats to stab them and was able to make good his escape.

On July 17 in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton Berry and his gang struck again at two separate addresses whilst victims aged 84 and 90 were at home gardening. The gang forced their way into the elderly victim′s homes and stole money. Local police were alerted during the commission of one of these offences and arrested members of Berry′s gang as they attempted to make off. Berry himself was able to make good his escape in a stolen motor vehicle which he had stolen earlier from Ellesmere Port, abandoning his gang at the scene.

Berry was arrested in September 2011 in London and re-called to prison to serve the remainder of this sentence for the 2009 offences.