A 47-year-old Wrexham man has been jailed for shoplifting, burglary and attempting to steal a car.
Ioan McKenzie, of Churton Drive, stole almost £300 worth of cigarettes from a city centre shop before burgling a house the following week. Â
He admitted the offences and was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court today (Thursday, November 21), where he was jailed for three years and four months.
Shortly before 2.50 p.m. on Monday, September 30, WH Smiths reported a shoplifting to police after McKenzie helped himself to significant amounts of cigarettes from behind the till area.
Despite handing some back after being challenged by staff, McKenzie walked out of the shop with the rest concealed in his jacket.
Shortly before 11:00 p.m. on October 12, McKenzie then burgled a home on Park Avenue before attempting to steal a car from the driveway.
The owner detained McKenzie until officers arrived, where he was found in possession of cocaine and wearing four coats from inside the victim’s home. He had also stolen a bag and a pair of trainers from inside the house.
He was arrested and subsequently charged with burglary and theft, attempted theft of a car, possession of a Class A drug and shoplifting.
Wrexham City Sergeant Sarah Hughes-Jones said, “I welcome this sentence, which shows this type of offending is not tolerated in Wrexham city and will be dealt with robustly. It also provides local businesses and residents reassurance that McKenzie is no longer a threat in our community.
“Burglary is an incredibly intrusive crime and can have a lasting impact on victims. This incident must have been terrifying for the victim and his family.”
She added, “Tackling retail crime also remains a priority in Wrexham, and we will continue to support that by robustly dealing with shoplifters. As part of Operation Blizzard launched earlier this month, officers will be working with local businesses and partner organisations every day to crack down on retail crime in the run-up to Christmas.
“We will continue to identify offenders and bring them before the courts.”
