BURGLARS are beginning life behind bars after one tried to escape police by running away and another broke into a major chain store to steal high value electrical goods.
Four burglars operating across Worcestershire are now serving long jail sentences thanks to West Mercia Police following the work of a team of detectives based at Worcester Police Station in Castle Street.
One of the burglars jailed was linked to the Argos burglaries in both Worcester and Evesham.
We previously reported how stolen laptops 'worth thousands' were seized from an overgrown grass area near a Worcester bridge following a raid on the Argos store in the city's Blackpole on Sunday, January 8 last year.
The raid followed another break-in at Argos in Evesham on Friday, January 6 last year during which electrical items were stolen. Between them, all the burglars were sentenced to the equivalent of 13 years.
DI Dave Knight of Proactive CID said: "Burglary is a crime that has a seriously detrimental impact on a victim and a community.
"It is right that West Mercia Police focus on this particular crime in order to ensure no stone is left unturned in identifying these types of offenders in order to bring them to justice."
Shane Perry, 19, of Millward Court, Worcester was convicted at Worcester Crown Court on March 18 after entering guilty pleas to burglary offences.
He was sentenced to a total of 24 months in a young offenders institution for offences of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles, theft and a burglary non-dwelling offence.
Four further burglary dwelling offences occurring in the Redditch and Broadway areas in October 2023 were also taken into consideration by the courts.
Perry was initially arrested in November 2023 in connection with a number of car key burglaries that occurred in Richmond Road, Malvern and Goodwood Road Malvern.
The investigation also highlighted the involvement of a number of other youths (who can not be named) who have also been convicted in Worcester Court and received Youth Rehabilitation Orders.
Russell Purfield, of no fixed abode (but with links to Evesham) has been sentenced to a 27 month custodial sentence following a guilty plea at Worcester Crown Court to a house burglary in Orchard walk, Evesham.
Purfield was initially arrested by Evesham Safer Neighbourhood Team officers in January 2024 for unrelated matters and recovered a quantity of stolen property, believed to have been from the reported burglary.
Further investigation by the Proactive CID Burglary Team led to Purfield being charged and remanded to court.
Tony Myres, 21, of Old Hobicus Lane, Oldbury was sentenced to a 41 month custodial sentence for offences of conspiracy to commit burglary.
During April 2023 Myers was involved in a number of car key burglaries across the West Mercia Policing area, including offences in Malvern, Powick, Kidderminster, Bewdley, Newport (Shropshire) and Telford. During April 2023 numerous attempts were made to arrest Myres in connection with these offences.
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During an early arrest attempt Myres evaded police by jumping a fence and running across a rail line close to his home address, whilst his associate rammed a marked police vehicle prior to escaping.
Myres continued to actively evade arrest but on May 7 last year was located and arrested by West Midlands Police Officers.
After being charged and remanded to court, Myres was bailed by the courts, and after bail breaches were committed officers from South Worcestershire’s Proactive CID located and arrested him.
He was remanded to prison following the conclusion of his trial, which resulted in a guilty plea.
Nicusoe Mircea, 35, of Queen Mary’s Road, Coventry was arrested as a result of Op Blast for the targeting of Argos stores nationally.
Between December 2022 and January 2023 a number of Argos stores across the country, including in the West Mercia policing area, have been targeted during the hours of darkness.
Offenders forced entry into the storerooms through external walls and stole large quantities of stock.
Multiple arrests and charges have been authorised but, to date, only one suspect has been sentenced following a guilty plea.
Mircea was arrested in February 2023 and charged and remanded to prison awaiting sentence for burglaries. On March 8 he was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court to a 63 month custodial sentence.
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