If you saw thieves breaking into a charity shop at night you might reasonably assume they’re not in for a life-changing jackpot.
But Stefan Moores and his two henchmen had no intention of making off with second-hand clothes and tatty used books.
The did find around £450 cash in a safe in a branch of Barnardo’s on the outskirts of Chester, Cheshire.
But the store was next to their real target: a Tesco Express laden with goods they could flog for a lot more.
The trio worked for at least four hours using hammers and crowbars to smash a large hole in the adjoining wall, which was made of sturdy breeze blocks and sheet metal.
They then stole around £10,000 worth of cigarettes and stamps from the supermarket, fleeing in a stolen car at around 3.45am.
Moores, 34, remained at large for more than three months after the heist, which took place in November.
The men were not easily identifiable from CCTV footage of the incident as they wore masks, and put fake number plates on the car.
But traces of Moores’ DNA were found on the Tesco cigarette case and on a screwdriver left in the stolen car, which police found in Manchester weeks later.
Moore was arrested in February at his home, where police found the shoes he could be seen wearing in the CCTV footage.
The 34-year-old, from Stockport, was jailed for three years on Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary.
Following the sentencing, DC James Wright of Cheshire Constabulary said: ‘Moores and his accomplices travelled to Cheshire that night determined to steal as much as possible.
‘Their main aim was to use the charity store as an easy route to gain access to the adjoining Tesco Express from where they could steal the cigarettes and stamps.
‘To them, the cash from the charity shop safe was simply a bonus, however £500 is a huge amount of money to the charity which could have been used to help vulnerable children.’
A court heard the caused around £5,250 worth of damage to the stores.
‘This investigation remains ongoing and we are committed to doing all we can to identify the two outstanding offenders to ensure they are also brought to justice,’ DC Wright added.
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