Moment thieves smash car through Boots shop window and steal perfume worth £15k

A man and woman who crashed their car through a Wiltshire shop window and stole £15,000 worth of perfume have been jailed.

Michael Denyer, 33, and Christina Colton, 44, both from Bristol, were sentenced at Swindon Crown Court after pleading guilty to burglary and criminal damage.

Denyer was jailed for three years. Colton was jailed for two years and nine months, which included sentencing for the incident and twice failing to surrender to custody.

The incident happened at around 3.25am on Sunday 23 June 2019 at the Boots shop in Bythesea Road, Trowbridge.

CCTV footage shows a Ford Fiesta ramming through the glass front of the store, followed by Denyer and Colton bursting out of the car wearing balaclavas.

The pair broke into perfume cabinets and ransacked the shelves, stealing a total of £15,221 worth of perfume and aftershave before returning to the smashed up car.

They also caused more than £13,000 worth of damage, forcing store owners to close the premises while it could be repaired.

The couple also caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. Credit: Wiltshire Police

Officers from Wiltshire Police found a purse at the scene of the crime, which contained identification belonging to Colton.

However, detectives still had to prove she was the offender and that the purse had not been innocently left during trading hours.

Denyer was arrested the following evening near the same Ford Fiesta in Bristol.

Evidence recovered from his phone, along with CCTV footage, showed him in the shop planning the ram raid beforehand.

Crime Scene Investigators also obtained forensic evidence which proved he was one of the offenders.

Detective Constable James Gatherum, from Central CID, said: “Colton has repeatedly tried to evade justice for this crime and there have been warrants out for her arrest since she previously failed to appear for court hearings.

“Denyer has remained in prison for an unrelated offence, since being charged for this burglary.

“Today’s sentencing marks the end of a very long journey since the incident happened, but after a great deal of evidence gathering and delays caused by Colton, I am happy to see both defendants receive lengthy prison sentences.”