When people hear the term “an organised criminal matter”, it often conjures movie-like images of gangsters involved in gun deals, hitmen, drug trafficking and money laundering.
In cities across the UK, criminals with access to a dark underworld take advantage of legal loopholes, blackmail and intimidation to make their millions.
But for petty thief Joby Pool, he saw a rather unusual opportunity to earn his fortune. With a criminal record of theft, handling stolen goods and driving while disqualified, he was no stranger to the wrong side of the law, yet his wrongdoing perhaps lacked the sophistication of his more dangerous peers.
Armed with just a metal grinder, Pool set about to carry out the chocolate equivalent of the Brink-Mat’s gold heist. His target - 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs. His motive - uncertain.
On 11 February, the 32-year-old self-employed ground worker set his short-lived plan into motion by breaking into an industrial unit in Stafford Park, Telford in Shropshire.
Using a tractor unit which had been stolen in the Yorkshire area in October, he succeeded in towing away the trailer full of chocolate, which was estimated to be worth over £31,000.
In a bizarre chase, the stolen chocolate was driven onto the northbound M42 until Pool was spotted by police and surrendered by walking “with his hands up” near junction 11.
“This clearly wasn’t spur-of-the-moment offending, if I can put it like that, because he had taken with him a tractor unit and he had to know that the load was there in the first place,” the prosecutor Owen Beale said in a previous hearing.
He added: “This is clearly an organised criminal matter. You don’t just happen to learn about a trailer with that kind of value being available.”
The Creme Eggs were worth more than £31,000— (PA Archive)
Pool, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey long-sleeved Adidas shirt on Thursday, had previously admitted theft, criminal damage to a lock at the trailer park and driving without insurance.
In a series of tweets posted two days after the theft, West Mercia Police told how they “helped save Easter” after foiling the thief.
They said: “West Mercia Police has helped save Easter for Creme Egg fans after almost 200,000 of the chocolate treats were stolen from a unit in Stafford Park in Telford.
“The eggs-travagent theft took place on Saturday 11 February with the chocolate collection box thought to be worth around £40,000. Along with the Creme Eggs a number of other chocolate varieties were also stolen.
“Shortly after the theft a vehicle, presumably purporting to be the Easter bunny, was stopped northbound on the M42 and a man was arrested on suspicion of theft.”
However, this Easter Bunny’s actions have now cost him a year-and-a-half behind bars, while the untouched chocolate was distributed to stores across the UK.
