Man who stole £1,600 diamond ring from Castlecourt Jewellery shop jailed for four months

A thief who stole a diamond ring during a “brazen” raid on a Belfast jewellers has been jailed for four months.

Dean Brown, 35, also fled with a necklace and bracelet after being allowed to try on items at the city centre store last month.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court was told the ring, valued at £1,600, has never been recovered.

Brown, of Holywood Road in the city, pleaded guilty to carrying out the theft.

Prosecutors said he went into Warren James Jewellers in the CastleCourt shopping complex on March 24 and asked to be shown a number of items.

Staff brought the diamond ring, a silver bracelet and a silver necklace from display cabinets for him to try on.

“He then took a step back and ran from the store,” a Crown lawyer said.

With Brown identified by police on CCTV footage of the theft, the necklace and bracelet were seized from his home the following day.

Defence barrister Richard McConkey told the court it had been a spontaneous crime.

“He didn’t go into the jewellers to do it, he just took the opportunity,” counsel submitted.

“This was completely unplanned and spur of the moment.”

Sentencing Brown to four months in custody, Deputy District Judge John Connolly said: “This was a brazen theft.

“He was always going to be caught, walking into CastleCourt in daylight with cameras everywhere.”

But due to the prison term imposed, Mr Connolly declined to further order Brown to pay compensation for the unrecovered diamond ring.

He added: “Hopefully the jewellers can recover it through insurance.”