Thieves caught with safe in botched Tipton bookies' raid
A pair of thieves tried to drag a safe out of a bookmakers by hand after forcing their way in, a court heard.
Edward Preece, aged 34 and Mark Tibbs, 40 were arrested by police trying to wrestle the heavy safe out of the Coral shop on Owen Street, Tipton on December 23.
Yesterday at Sandwell Magistrates Court Preece, of Parkes Lane, Tipton, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to steal. His co-defendant – Tibbs, of Bloomfield Terrace, Tipton – also pleaded guilty to the same offence, plus another charge of possessing a class B drug, cannabis.
Mr Mark Cooper, prosecuting, told the court that police had been alerted to the break-in at around 4.15am in the morning, after a tilt alarm on the safe was tripped. "Officers arrived at the bookmakers in minutes," said Mr Cooper.
"They found the two defendants in the back of the bookmakers trying to move the safe. This certainly seems like a well planned operation and they did manage to move the safe."
Both of the defendants tried to escape but were quickly arrested. Further investigations revealed that they had caused around £2,000 of damage by forcing their way into the bookmakers.
A statement from the shop's manager estimated that there was more than £5,000 in the safe at the time of the break-in. The case was adjourned for sentencing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on February 21.
