Six burglars banged up

Six men from Wirral who burgled houses and dozens of businesses in Macclesfield and across the north have been jailed for a total of more than 30 years.

The men were members of an organised crime gang who carried out two house burglaries, 30 commercial burglaries and five theft from motor vehicle offences between Sunday 4 August 2019 and Monday 4 November 2019. The gang specifically targeted business premises with the intent of stealing cash from their safes.

They raided pubs, restaurants, bus depots, convenience stores, social clubs and even dry cleaners during their crime spree.

They stole a high powered Audi S4 whilst burgling a house in Barnston, Wirral using the vehicle to travel to and from businesses they targeted and stole number plates to use on other stolen vehicles whilst committing offences.

The areas they targeted included Macclesfield, Chester and a number of towns in Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria.

Detectives from Ellesmere Port CID linked the six men to the burglaries through mobile phone, ANPR and CCTV evidence, and their crime spree was brought to an end  when officers from Cheshire, Merseyside and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit executed search warrants at their homes in Wirral.

The gang members were subsequently arrested and sentenced for their offences at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 14 February for a total of 31-and-a-half years.

The individual prison sentences they received were:

• Gary Platt: Six years
• Kieran Platt: Six years
• Salla: Four-and-a-half years
• Wilkinson: Four-and-a-half years
• Hodgin: Six years and nine months
• Mighall: Three years and nine months

Following sentencing, Detective Sergeant Graeme Carvell, who led the investigation, said: “I am delighted that these men are now behind bars facing the consequences of their actions in the form of significant prison sentences. Their convictions and sentencing marks the conclusion of what has been a lengthy and complex investigation into a series of burglaries which spanned across numerous police forces in England and Wales.”

“Over a three-month period the gang went to great lengths to plan and co-ordinate more than 30 burglaries at houses, pubs, restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses across the UK. They stole a car worth £13,000 during a house burglary.”

“The group also stole more than £45,000 and caused in excess of £35,000 worth of damage to business premises. All of the businesses targeted provide essential services to local communities, and the burglaries have had a profound effect on the owners and their staff.”

“The gang had the audacity to burgle the same premises on a number of occasions and used a variety of techniques in a failed attempt to try to cover up their crimes, including concealing their identities and using cloned vehicles.”