Express & Star

'First in the queue to do that stupid thing!' Man jailed over £25,000 burglary at business closed for Christmas

A man has been jailed after stealing £25,000 of tools and equipment from a Telford business which had shut down over Christmas.

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Luke Austin, 35, of The Fields, Donnington Wood, Telford, was sentenced for one count of burglary, of Freyssinet, at Ketley Business Park, when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Judge Anthony Lowe was told Austin had previously admitted the offence - which took place between December 27 and 30 last year - at magistrates court.

Nigel Stelling, prosecuting, said the factory had been locked down for the Christmas period.

He said that on December 30 it was noticed that the lights at the building were on, and two staff members visited the site.

They were greeted with what was described as a "scene of devastation" with the business having been "trashed".

A substantial number of items had been taken, including two laptop computers, a 70-inch TV and a number of power tools.