A gang of burglars targeted a Salford rugby club and Asian families during a three month crime spree. But they were caught when police surrounded their getaway vehicle on the M56.
The four-strong group commuitted burglaries in Ellesmere Port, Warrington, and Greater Manchester between October and December 2022. Their downfall came following a burglary at an address on Westminster Road, Ellesmere Port in October 2022.
Detectives recovered CCTV footage which showed the offenders gaining entry to the address through a window, before stealing cash from inside. The gang then made off in a Ford vehicle, which was later found abandoned nearby. The vehicle had been stolen from the Merseyside area. Officers got a DNA match to Thomas Berry from a screwdriver found inside the car.
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Further enquiries into Thomas and his associates, resulted in police stopping a black Audi A3 owned by Phillip Berry, on the M56 near junction to 12, on Wednesday December 14th.
Thomas, Phillip, Purcell and the 17-year-old boy, were all arrested at the scene. Upon searching the car officers discovered a quantity of cash, face coverings, gloves, and mobile phones.
Further enquiries revealed that the items had been used in two burglaries in Warrington earlier that day; one at a residential address on Pasture Lane, and another of a take-away restaurant on Padgate Lane, where the offenders stole cash.
Officers also linked the gang to a stolen BMW which was found abandoned in Warrington. The vehicle had been reported stolen from the Rochdale area on Monday 12 December .
The same car was also used in a burglary in Cadishead, Greater Manchester, on Tuesday 13 December, where the gang stole cash which had been collected as part of fundraising for a local rugby club.
All four members of the gang were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit burglary. Today Thomas Berry, 27; Philip Berry, 27; and Adam Purcell, 34; all appeared at Chester Crown Court where they were sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison.
Phillip Berry, of College Fields, Wrexham, was jailed for four years and two months, while his twin brother Thomas, also of College Fields, Wrexham, was sentenced to four years and one month. Purcell, of Chester Road, Frodsham, was jailed for four years and nine months.
The sentencing of a 17-year-old boy, from Frodsham, who has been convicted as part of the investigation, has been adjourned. All four offenders had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary. Phillip Berry also admitted driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Murray head of Cheshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “I welcome the sentences that have been handed out today and I hope that they provide reassurance to the victims and the wider community. The financial impact of burglary can be significant, but it’s the emotional effect of being burgled which often lasts much longer and should never be underestimated.
“As a force we understand this and we hope this conviction goes as a warning to criminals who are looking to come to Cheshire, that in policing there are no borders, we work together to get criminals off our streets and behind bars where they belong.”
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