Northwich man jailed followings Northwich town centre crime spree

A man who went on a week-long crime spree in Northwich town centre has been jailed.

Gary Bloor, of Parkfield Road, Northwich, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 30 August where he pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary other than a dwelling and two counts of attempted burglary other than a dwelling.

The 41-year-old was sentenced to 52 weeks in prison.

Bloor had previously been sentenced to an additional 10 weeks in prison on Friday 28 July after he pleaded guilty to three counts of shoplifting and three counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order.

His crime spree began on Friday 21 July when he committed two shoplifting offences at Farmfoods, where he stole a pizza oven, hair clippers and an air fryer.

Bloor, who was already banned from the shop under the terms of his Criminal Behaviour Order, returned to the store on Tuesday 25 July, this time stealing more than £50 worth of meat.

His offending escalated on Wednesday 26 July, when he stole a variety of mobile phone accessories after breaking into UMOBILE on two occasions.

Then, on Thursday 27 July, he broke into Gilroy Wilson Shoes and stole £650 cash; he also attempted to break into Sports Direct and Firth Fields Pet Store.

Thankfully, his crime spree was brought to an end later that day after officers investigating the case discovered CCTV footage showing Bloor near to Gilroy Wilson Shoes at the time of the offence.

Bloor was arrested later that day after he was found hiding at the back of an address on Parkfield Road.

During his arrest officers recovered footwear which place him at the scene of the burglary at Gilroy Wilson Shoes. They also found traces of glass from the broken windows in his shoes.

Following his sentencing Police Constable Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Team, said:

“Bloor is a prolific offender and I welcome the fact that he is now behind bars. During his week-long crime spree, not only did he steal hundreds of pounds worth of items and cash, but he also caused thousands of pounds worth of damage and lost revenue, which is the last thing that any business needs at the current time.

“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence we gathered, Bloor was left with no option but to plead guilty to all of the charges against him and he is now facing the consequences of his actions.

“I also hope that the sentence handed to him will provide reassurance to the other businesses affected and the local community.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Bloor has been ordered to pay £300 compensation upon his release.