Zest Upperthorpe: Man jailed for breaking into and stealing from Sheffield community building
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Lee Wragg, 47, of no fixed address, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to burglary this week.
Wragg was captured on CCTV entering The Zest Community Centre in Upperthorpe via a side door, on Wednesday August 31 at around 5.50am.
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Once inside the property, the footage showed him causing damage to a coffee machine, before taking cash from within it and fleeing the scene.
Earlier in the week, officers had also received reports of a break-in at the nearby Aldi on Flora Street, in which a number of charity donation tins and a quantity of alcohol had been stolen.
It was reported that on August 30 at around 1.15am, an offender broke into the store by causing significant damage to the front doors, before fleeing with the stolen goods. Following CCTV enquiries, Wragg was identified as the man also responsible for the break-in at Aldi.
After extensive enquiries by officers, Wragg was arrested at a nearby block of flats on Wednesday. He was found in possession of the stolen items.
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Hide AdSergeant Simon Kirkham, who leads the South Yorkshire Police Walkley and Hillsborough local policing team, said: “The team have a really good working knowledge of the area and with fantastic community support we were able to join the dots and find the offender quickly before more offences could be committed. This was a quick turnaround from identifying the offender to arrest then prosecution, and is a show of excellent team work.”
Matt Dean, chief executive of the Zest Community Centre, home to facilities including a library and a swimming pool, said: “The team were responsive and able to secure a quick arrest thanks to their knowledge of the local patch and ability to gather local intelligence at pace. It demonstrates the value local neighbourhood policing.”
Wragg admitted both offences, and was subsequently charged with two counts of burglary other than dwelling with intent to steal. He was remanded to Sheffield Crown Court on September 1 where he was sentenced to four months in jail.