A grinning burglar has had the smile wiped off his face after he was jailed for targeting a Liverpool Wetherspoons forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Police found Jeffrey Dey, 30, yards from The Richard John Blackler pub he had broken into during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The pub in Great Charlotte Street is among a number of Liverpool city centre venues that were targeted in separate burglaries amid a national lockdown of drinking venues due to coronavirus.
Dey, from Langton Road in Wavertree was found around 2am on Tuesday, March 24 in the same street as the pub, and was empty handed, Merseyside Police today revealed
Police confirmed Dey was now behind bars.
He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison after appearing and pleading guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court yesterday.
He was also ordered to pay compensation.
The break in came days after Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin told his staff they should go to work at Tesco amid uncertainty over their futures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Phil Atkinson said: “I hope this sentencing and other recent burglary arrests we’ve made gives some confidence to businesses and residents alike, during these very challenging times.
“We know that some businesses will be closed for a long period of time but our officers continue to patrol in the right areas, respond to reports, and put those people who think this is an opportunity to commit crime before the courts."
He added: "The arrest of Dey was an excellent piece of police work which resulted in a burglar being swiftly detained and brought to justice. It was also the result of an online report received by a member of public, so keep coming forward and we’ll work together to keep such positive results coming.
“If you want to report a burglary, always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can also pass information via @MerPolCC, 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
This pub stands on the site of Blacklers department store, which was opened by Richard John Blackler in 1908.
The store was destroyed in 1941 during the Blitz, with only the steel skeleton remaining.
It took 10 years in planning and four years to build, before the brand-new store opened in 1955.
