Burglar caught on camera stealing parcels from communal lobbies in Plymouth
Watch the moment a burglar is seen stealing a parcel from a communal lobby
A burglar who stole parcels from communal lobbies in Plymouth has been spared jail.
William Renshaw, from Woodlands Road in Roby, Liverpool, admitted five burglary charges at a hearing in September and has now been sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for a year.
The 37-year-old was filmed removing parcels from communal lobbies at buildings on Royal William Yard in Plymouth.
He was also told to pay compensation and undergo rehabilitation at his sentencing hearing at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Friday 22 November.
The court heard that he was seen on CCTV taking packages from the communal lobby at Brewhouse Building, which is only open to residents, on 6 September and 18 September, before walking out of the main door.
He was also seen on CCTV entering the Clarence Building which has similar security measures to the Brewhouse Building, on 15 September, by the same method.
Police had previously received a report that between 25 August and 1 September, a book, The Unknown Solider, signed by its author John Nicol, and delivered to the Brewhouse Building, had been stolen from the same area.
A further report was made that on 17 September, a T-shirt, which was a birthday present, was stolen from the communal lobby of the Clarence Building.
On this occasion, the same unknown man was seen on CCTV barging the doors with enough force to cause the magnetic lock to open and caused around £1,000 worth of damage to the door and its frame.
Following enquiries, Renshaw was identified and arrested on Tuesday 24 September.
A search was carried out at an address on Royal William Road in Plymouth, where Renshaw was staying, and officers recovered clothing seen to be worn by the defendant on CCTV and a large quantity of mail and parcels in the names of others with addresses from Royal William Yard. The signed book was also recovered.
Detective Constable Gareth Jones, who led the investigation, said: “We hope this reassures the public that police do take a pro-active stance on these types of offences.
“We always work to ensure that, where possible, justice is served.
“I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of all the Stonehouse Neighbourhood Policing Team in bringing this person to justice and thank all those people who supported us in this investigation.”