A burglar was caught out after leaving his handprints on plastic surrounding cans of Coke after stealing a haul of food from a bar.
Daniel Critchley, 31, of no fixed abode, tried to prise open the door of the Boat Museum on South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, with a queue barrier between Monday, July 4 and 5 of this year. Chester Magistrates Court heard how when this failed, he smashed a double-glazed window on the door to gain entry.
Critchley stole various food items and then fled the scene. Officers found the mans DNA on the queue barrier he tried to use to break in and fingerprints on the plastic drinks packaging of Coke cans, which linked him to the crime scene.
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Critchley's burglary spree continued on Thursday, September 8, when he went to the Port and Anchor in South Pier Road and used a large rock to smash a window. Once inside he stole a number of items including cake, two large tubs of ice cream, ice cream cones and a full box of biscuits.
Again, Critchley’s fingerprint was found at the scene. On the morning of Monday, October 17, Critchley was spotted by officers on patrol in Ellesmere Port town centre and recognised as being wanted on suspicion of commercial burglaries. He was arrested and later charged and remanded to appear at Chester Magistrates the following day.
A judge sentenced Critchley to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to two burglaries and asking for three others to be taken into consideration.
DC Stuart Wood said: "I wish to thank all officers involved in the investigation involving several offences over a four month period. Burglary is a priority for us as we understand the impact it has, whether its someone’s home or someone’s livelihood.
"The damage he caused to break in has cost the businesses more than the actual cost of the stolen stock in most cases. The effect this type of crime has on the victims and the local community should not be underestimated so we will continue to make every effort to find those responsible and put them before the courts."
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