Family gang jailed for masked raid on Wolverhampton Sainsbury's
A six-strong gang who escaped with a near £13,000 haul from a convenience store have been jailed for more than 14 years.
The masked gang, which included four members of the same family, struck during the early hours of the morning at the Sainsbury’s Local shop in Compton Road, Merridale, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The crooks fled with almost £13,000 worth of cigarettes and tobacco, which they hid during their escape on January 4 2016 and returned to collect a short time later.
Six days afterwards five of the gang – Ben Griffiths together with Adrian, Daniel, Ashley and Robert Wilkins – struck twice more but ended up empty handed, the court heard.
First they attempted to burgle a branch of Costcutter in Halesowen Road, Netherton, during the early hours but this time activated the burglar alarm almost immediately and were forced to flee without stealing anything.
Then 90 minutes later some of the group tried to force the locks at the BP garage in Corngreaves Road, Cradley Heath, while others crawled behind fuel pumps to act as look outs but were disturbed and forced to flee with nothing.
They were arrested when police stopped the BMW they were travelling in later that day.
Mark Pass, aged 34 and from Slim Avenue, Bradley, who had four previous convictions for domestic burglaries, was detained almost three months later while committing an unrelated crime.
He denied involvement in the Sainsbury’s burglary but was unanimously convicted by a jury after trial. He was jailed for two years seven months.
Career criminal Griffiths, aged 33, of Booth Road, Wednesbury, who had previous convictions involving 108 separate offences, pleaded guilty to the burglary of Sainsbury’s, the attempted burglary of Costcutter and burgling the BP garage with intent.
Adrian Wilkins, 27, Ashley Wilkins, 22, and 24-year-old Robert Wilkins, all of Abberley Street, Dudley and Daniel Wilkins, aged 23, from Churchfield Road, Wednesbury, also admitted the three offences.
The quartet and Griffiths were each jailed for two years five months.
Mr Glyn Samuel, defending, said: “The offences happened two years ago and since then they have stayed out of involvement in any further trouble.”
Judge Nicholas Webb told the defendants: “You acted as a gang and all played an equal part in the quest to make money.”
