Prolific burglar jailed for Northwich crime spree

A prolific burglar from Manchester has been jailed for eight years following a nine-month crime spree across the wider Northwich area.

Gary Clifton appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 11th November where he was jailed for eight years.

The sentencing comes after Clifton, of Water Street, Radcliffe, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of burglary, one count of attempted burglary and two counts of theft.

The court heard that between Saturday 17th August 2024 and Monday 19th May 2025, the 61-year-old targeted 14 properties across the Cuddington, Davenham and Hartford areas.

Over the course of his nine-month burglary spree, Clifton would often strike late into the night and early mornings, forcing his way into a number of homes and outbuildings, as well as stealing items left in porches such as parcels.

Items amongst Clifton’s £15,500 haul included sporting equipment such clothing and shoes, e-bikes and e-scooters, alcohol, food and tools.

A child’s bicycle, stolen by Clifton from the driveway of an address in Davenham, had been found abandoned at a nearby address he had also struck at.

As part of their enquiries into the incidents, officers obtained various pieces of CCTV footage from the addresses he targeted and identified a Ford Connect van that had been in the vicinity of every premises that had been burgled.

This van would be identified as belonging to Gary Clifton.

Clifton’s undoing came on 20th May 2025, when this van had been captured on ANPR cameras travelling to the Manchester area.

He was arrested by officers from Chesire Police at his home, with a subsequent search of both the property and his van resulting in them finding a significant amount of the items reported stolen by his victims.

Also found within Clifton’s home were a pair of Slazenger trainers. Constabulary Forensics officers would later examine the treads of these shoes and compare them to a prominent footwear imprint that had been found at one of the burglary crime scenes in Hartford, where Clifton was suspected to have struck.

This imprint would come back as a match, confirming these shoes had been worn during the burglary at the Hartford address.

Clifton was subsequently taken into custody by officers and was formally interviewed, during which he denied any involvement in the burglaries and attempted break-ins.

He would be charged and would go to trial at Chester Crown Court on Monday 10th November 2025.

Clifton eventually pleaded guilty to 14 offences in total and was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 11th November.

Detective Constable Christopher Forrest, who led the investigation into Clifton’s offending, said:

“We are taught from a young age that we simply do not take what is not ours, but Gary Clifton, a prolific and opportunistic thief with a slew of previous offences, has clearly not learnt that lesson yet.

“I hope that following the issuing of his eight-year custodial sentence, he spends the foreseeable future familiarising himself with this core principle, in the hopes he does not reoffend upon his eventual release.

“This case also highlights the importance of having CCTV in and around your home, as the footage captured from the addresses he struck at during his crime spree were vital in securing this sentencing and achieving justice for his victims.”

Pictured - Gary Clifton of Water Street in Radcliffe.