Prosecution of Multiple Ram Raider

20 April 2020

MULTIPLE RAM RAIDER SENTENCED TO 4 YEARS 4 MONTHS CUSTODY

As HHJ Goodin said, at Ipswich Crown Court, in his closing remarks on sentence of Jesse Gatehouse : “non-domestic burglaries don’t get much more serious than this”.

Mr Gatehouse had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of burglary of the Co-op store in Debenham that took place on 12-11-19.

He was one of a group of three ( the other two yet to be found) who carried out a well planned attack on the store at about 03:30 hours on that morning.  Unlike any usual ATM withdrawal the three came equipped with 3 vehicles all previously stolen to make it and the withdrawal was the £78,420 contained in it along with the machine itself.

A red Audi to assist in the final getaway (stolen from Chelmsford at the end of October), a white ford transit again stolen from Bures around the same time to assist in removal of the ATM and finally a telehandler (digger) stolen that morning from Ulveston Hall, Debenham.

The transit van had been adapted by the cutting off of the roof to enable the ATM to be lowered in.  This was successfully achieved after the telehandler had been used to punch a sizeable hole in the wall of the co-op and ripping the ATM from its position in the store, where it was bolted, using a strap and lowering it into to the van.

The trio left in their wake in excess of £30,000 of damage to the store with the owners of the ATM losing around £10,000.  From the card companies’ victim personal statement these are growing crimes and the costs of additional security, loss of revenue and community impact are substantial.  That store had been hit with a similar attack in February 2018, after which they had just recovered.

Mr Gatehouse’s co-operation with police did stand him in good stead for sentence.  He admitted 6 other offences to be taken into account involving the taking of the vehicles used in this offence and another albeit failed attack on the Spar store in Glemsford.

The Judge had considered without this and his other mitigation that the starting point on sentence would be in the region of 7.5 years.  Instead it was 6.5 years, reduced with credit for early guilty plea to 4 years 4 months.

RUSSELL BUTCHER

PROSECUTION COUNSEL IN THE MATTER OF  R v GATEHOUSE

Read the story in the East Anglian Daily Times at https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk-convenience-store-cash-machine-burglary-sentence-1-6607022

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