Burglar Caught After Pursuit Jailed For Six And A Half Years
Burglar Roy Wallace who is now serving six and a half years in jailA man who burgled businesses and homes across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands has been sent to prison for six and a half years.
Roy David Wallace, aged 44 (date of birth 1/6/1968) of Lingard Close, Nechells, Birmingham, appeared before Worcester Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday, 11 July) for sentencing after previously admitting eight charges of burglary, an attempted burglary, theft of a car in Redditch and dangerous driving during a police pursuit which followed one of the burglaries in Kidderminster.
He received sentences totalling six years for the burglaries, attempted burglary and theft charges, with a further consecutive six months for dangerous driving.
The court heard that some of the burglaries took place at commercial premises in Redditch and Aston, Birmingham, while others involved homes in Worcester, Cofton Hackett, Grafton in Hereford and Kidderminster. All the offences took place between March and November last year (2011).
The first of these was at Hydraforce Hydraulics Ltd in St Stephens Street, Aston, in the March, when he broke in and took a Ford van.
During September Wallace burgled three commercial premises in Redditch. At Muller Ltd in Bartleet Road he stole brass and copper components. Laptops and other property were stolen from TDI Systems at the IMEX Centre and at Jon George Ltd on the Washford Industrial Estate. The following month (October) he attempted to burgle a home in Weavers Hill, Hunt End, Redditch.
Wallace stole jewellery, cash, electrical goods and car keys after burgling homes in Cofton Church Lane, Cofton Hackett and Grafton, Hereford, during October. Then in November he took a watch and jewellery after breaking into a house in Cornmeadow Lane, Worcester. Three days later, on 7 November, he and another man stole jewellery, electrical and household goods from a house in Cardinal Drive, Spennells, Kidderminster, but were disturbed by a woman returning home who took down part of the registration of their getaway car as they fled.
Police spotted the car on the A449 at Ombersley and after a 30-minute pursuit to Redditch it was finally stopped on the A441 Alvechurch Highway.
Detective Sergeant Marc Sanders of West Mercia Police said that during the pursuit Wallace drove at well over the speed limit on busy roads before specially trained officers were able to safely bring the vehicle to a halt.
The other man involved in the Kidderminster burglary, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received a 10-month sentence for that and other offences.
Det Sgt Sanders welcomed the lengthy prison sentence and commented afterwards: "Wallace is a prolific criminal and we hope members of the public will be reassured that he has been locked up for some considerable time.
"Let this be a warning to others contemplating breaking into people's businesses and their homes. The police will not hesitate to prosecute offenders and clearly the courts will come down hard on them.
"Burglary, especially the breaking into of homes, remains a top priority for West Mercia Police."
Det Sgt Sanders urged people to be security-conscious to help protect their homes and businesses. Householders were urged to keep front and back doors locked and to shut downstairs windows at night. Leaving a light on when going out during hours of darkness also acted as a deterrent.
"It is also important that any suspicious activity is reported to the police immediately. If you think a property is being broken into call 999 and if you see anything which raises yours suspicions, then again contact the police on the 101 non-emergency number."
He added: "The public can play a major role in combating crime by assisting the police. Do call us when you see anything unusual or suspicious so we can check it out. Working with the police in this way will prevent many crimes and help us trace burglars and other criminals."
Issued: Thursday, 12 July 2012