Police have issued CCTV images after burglars who targeted a bar during lockdown were brought to justice.
Some £13,000 of property was stolen and damage done after burglar Paul Shaw broke into The Bierkeller in Friar Lane, Nottingham.
These CCTV images released by Nottinghamshire Police show the 41-year-old taking alcohol which he loaded into a wheelie bin before leaving the premises.
It happened on 16 January 2021, when all bars were shut during the lockdown.
After Shaw initially smashed the rear door to get in, the bar was entered a further 11 times by a number of people including Shaw who returned over a period of hours.
As well as taking a large amount of alcohol, Shaw also left with electrical items.
A thorough police investigation was carried out and blood found on a beer keg used by Shaw during the break-in was forensically matched to him. His blood was also found on a piece of glass where he’d broken in.
Shaw, of Denton Green, in the Broxtowe Estate, pleaded guilty to the burglary and was jailed for 12 months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday (1 September 2021).
He was also given nine-months, imposed consecutively, after he breached a suspended prison sentence.
Another man who returned to the bar with Shaw, 34-year-old Michael James, also pleaded guilty to burglary.
James, of St Ann’s Gardens, St Ann’s, was caught on CCTV entering the bar three times and stealing alcohol. He was jailed for 12 months for the burglary.
The Bierkeller manager Fran Loi said: “This happened during lockdown when we had no income coming in. To suffer a five-figure sum of theft and damage was clearly very damaging to the business.”
Detective Constable Colin Kirkup, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Businesses such as this struggling financially during the pandemic so the last thing this bar needed was to be targeted by burglars and face the additional cost of theft and damage.
“I’d like to reassure our local businesses that the force treats commercial burglary and theft very seriously and will continue to deal robustly with anyone believed to be involved in such crimes and work hard to secure justice for victims.
“The force has seen a big reduction in burglaries, marking a sustained drop which started well before the impact of the pandemic, and we remain committed to driving down burglaries even further.
“We understand how traumatic these offences are for people and Nottinghamshire Police remains absolutely committed to robustly investigating every report received.
“Our vital work to crack down on burglary is ongoing and we will continue to work with and support residents and business owners targeted by criminals.
“We are working hard to prevent burglaries from happening in the first place and will do everything in our power to catch burglars and bring the before the courts.
“To help us combat this upsetting crime type we have two specialist burglary teams operating proactively across the city and county who are supported by response and neighbourhood officers, as well as a burglary enforcement special constable team.”
