Jail for Wrexham thief who bought stolen sunglasses in pub

Richard Watson, of Bellevue Road in Wrexham, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 32-year-old admitted offences of theft and handling stolen goods.

Rhian Jackson, prosecuting, told the court that between July 17 and 19 last year, Jane Smellie Opticians in Wrexham town centre was the scene of a burglary.

When staff turned up on the Monday for work, they found the front windows smashed - with a large stone left near the point of entry.

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After checking the shop's stock, it was discovered that 86 pairs of sunglasses - worth almost £14,000 - had been taken.

When police checked CCTV in the area, Watson was seen in the area.

A few weeks later, officers executed a warrant at his mother's home in Bellevue Road and in his room at that property they found branded sunglasses which still had a serial number and price on.

Two further pairs were found and all were identified as having been taken in the original burglary.

The glasses found in his room were worth £689.

Richard Watson. Image: North Wales Police

Watson's theft offence took place on June 6 this year.

Ms Jackson said the manager of Huws Gray in Rhostyllen was alerted to the fact the company's alarm had been activated, following which he made his way there.

A live CCTV feed showed a male pushing a trolley loaded with composite decking boards towards a BMW vehicle.

When the manager arrived five minutes later, the male was nowhere to be seen - but he drove towards the town centre and spotted the BMW with decking boards sticking out of the boot.

He managed to get the licence plate and when it pulled over, a picture of the driver - Watson - who then sped off towards the town.

A single decking board flew out onto the road, Ms Jackson said, and was recovered by the manager.

The 10 boards the defendant drove away with were worth a total of £300.

Ms Jackson said the theft also put him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed just weeks earlier for six offences of theft.

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Euros Jones, defending, said his client's approach to the hearing had been "realistic."

But he said Watson maintained he had nothing to do with the opticians burglary, which was borne out by fingerprints and footprints at the scene not matching his.

"He does accept he bought three pairs of stolen sunglasses," he explained.

"They were going round Wrexham town centre on a very quick basis being sold pub-to-pub."

Deputy District Judge Paul Conlon activated the defendant's breached 12 week sentence, handing him a consecutive eight weeks for the theft and a further consecutive four weeks for handling stolen goods.

The defendant was ordered to pay an element of compensation to the amount of £270 to Huws Gray for the lost boards.

He will also be subject to post sentence supervision on his release for 12 months.

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