Man jailed following Northwich Pub burglaries

A man who broke into two pubs in Northwich has been jailed.

Wayne Meredith appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 24 November where he was sentenced to 28 months in prison.

The 46-year-old, of Manchester Road, Northwich, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary other than a dwelling with intent to steal.

The court heard how police were called to two reports of burglaries at pubs in the local area.

The first was reported on Wednesday 20 September at the Weavers Whistle on Wells Avenue. The second took place on Wednesday 27 September, this time at the Clock Tower on Chester Way.

On both occasions the suspects broke into the buildings and targeted the fruit machines, causing almost £2,000 worth of damage to the machines, on top of the damage caused to the buildings.

Meredith was identified as the suspect after officers recovered CCTV footage which showed the suspect wearing a distinctive green parker style jacket, which was recognised by officers who had previously arrested Meredith for unrelated cases.

He was subsequently arrested on Friday 29 September at his home on Manchester Road, where officers recovered evidence, including the parker style jacket .

Meredith answered no comment throughout questioning, but later pleaded guilty to the charges on his first appearance in court.

Police Constable Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Policing Unit said:

“Meredith is a prolific offender and I welcome the sentence handed to him.

“Many people think that crimes of this nature are victimless, but that is not the case, it results results in substantial loss for businesses.

“I hope the fact that Meredith has been held accountable for his actions will provide some closure.

“I also hope that the case will provide some reassurance to other local businesses by demonstrating that we are committed to doing all we are doing all we can to tackling business crime.”