Man jailed for burgling Sheffield jewellers

The burglary took place at Silver Lining Jewellery and Piercing in Chapel Walk, Sheffield city centre between 5pm on April 30 and 6.20am on May 1 this year.

Brian Outhwaite, prosecuting, told Sheffield Crown Court that when the owner left for the day on April 30 the premises was locked and secure, but a worker at a nearby café phoned her early the following morning to inform her that her shop had been broken into.

“A display cabinet had been broken into, and £7,500 of jewellery had been stolen, and £2,500 of damage had been caused,” said Mr Outhwaite.

He added: “CCTV showed two males forcing entry, and then during the course of that night, four further males were seen to go at various times and proceed to take jewellery from the display cabinet.”

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Police officers identified defendant, Paul Attwell, as the third of the four men to burgle the shop in the hours following the initial break-in.

Mr Outhwaite said Attwell, of Water Slacks Road, Woodhouse was subsequently arrested, and ‘remained silent’ in police interview.

In a statement read to the court, the owner of the shop said the burglary had left her feeling ‘extremely unsafe’ and had put her at a significant financial loss.

“I see people walk past on a daily basis and I think: ‘It could be them’,” she said, referring to the other burglars.

It is not known whether the other burglars have been caught by police.

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Attwell, 46, has previously been convicted of some 78 previous offences which have mainly been for ‘dishonesty and acquisitive crime,’ Mr Outhwaite told the court.

He pleaded guilty to one count of burglary during today’s hearing.

Andrew Smith, defending, said the only mitigation that could be put forward on Attwell’s behalf was his guilty plea and the ‘realism the defendant has shown’ concerning the likelihood of him receiving a prison sentence.

Judge Rachael Harrison jailed him for 36 weeks.

She said: “It’s clearly not possible to suspend your sentence. It’s unavoidable. That’s the shortest possible sentence. You have a terrible record of compliance with court orders.”

- South Yorkshire Police has been asked to provide a custody image of Attwell

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