Sweet tooth thief who caused more than £3k worth of damage to jewellery shop off Stockport Road jailed
A sweet tooth thief who caused more than £3,000 of damage to a business in Stockport has been jailed.
Stephen Craig, 40, of Kingfisher Close, Manchester, was sentenced to two years imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court on Friday.
On Sunday, January 2, Craig entered a jewellery shop off Stockport Road at 9.30am and reached over the counter and made attempts to grab anything that he could, including a bowl of sweets.
Craig placed a black item between the door and the door frame to prevent it fully closing. He then approached a member of staff who was working behind the till and stated to “give me everything you've got”.
The staff member was in shock and pressed her personal attack alarm, which alerted the police.
Craig then reached over the counter and made attempts to grab anything that he could, including a bowl of sweets. He then kicked and punched the glass where all the jewellery was kept, before successfully breaking it and grabbing several items including earrings, necklaces, and rings.
In total, £3,287 worth of damage was done to the business - £2,483 was stolen with a further £807 in damage to the shop.
Craig then successfully escaped before officers could arrive. Once officers did arrive, they noticed blood on the glass, which later came back as a positive match for Craig.
Detective Constable Peter Viney, of our City of Manchester Division, said: “This was an opportunistic crime that left several staff members at the business traumatised by the ordeal they were put through. Thankfully, no one was injured during this incident.
“Our officers managed to reunite all the stolen items with the business.”
He added: “Craig showed very little regard for the business, their staff and other members of the public during this incident. We hope this sentencing can provide them with some comfort that justice has been served against him.”