Burglar who stole £150,000 worth of jewellery handed five-and-a-half-year prison sentence
Anthony Whelan. Picture: Avon and Somerset Constabulary - Credit: Avon and Somerset Constabulary
A man who stole more than £150,000 of jewellery has been handed a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Anthony Whelan, aged 50, appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday) following his conviction for burglary and car crime in Portishead and Bath.
Whelan, from Liverpool, was found guilty of stealing high-value jewellery in Portishead in March 2017 and in Bath in January 2017.
He was also found guilty of theft from two vehicles in March 2017.
Whelan was arrested in Cheshire in July 30 after a police appeal and he was identified through CCTV footage – the stolen jewellery was never recovered.
The court heard how one victim had taken many months to get their lives ‘back on track’ and how their insurance recouped less than half the value of the stolen jewellery.
They also said the incident had left them ‘emotionally distraught’ and feeling unsafe, with much of the jewellery being ‘irreplaceable’.
Most Read
- 1 Superb, high-spec house in a Nailsea hotspot
- 2 North Somerset flytipper pays £1,600 after dumping bathtub
- 3 Police rescue broken down bride - and get her to the wedding on time
- 4 Iceland offers over 60s discount on shopping bill every week
- 5 Clevedon Choral back after 18 month hiatus caused by pandemic
- 6 Can you answer these 10 GCSE questions designed for 16-year-olds?
- 7 Construction finally begins for special educational needs school
- 8 Clevedon Library to close for THREE MONTHS for major refurb
- 9 IN THE DOCK: Man in court after using daughter's blue badge to park in Weston
- 10 Two more leave Portishead Town Council over 'in-person' controversy
Recorder Oba Nsugbe said: “These burglaries involved a great deal of planning and preparation. You have previously been sentenced for burglaries at Luton Crown Court, Guildford Crown Court and Bristol Crown Court. The least I can give you due to the seriousness of these offences is five and a half years.”