Man sentenced to 21 months after stealing cash from Runcorn bakery

A man who burgled a bakery shop in Runcorn has been sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Michael Farrer, of South Terrace in Bury, entered Pound Bakery on Church Street through its roof and stole £1,300 in cash along with a safe worth £1,100.

The 35-year-old had pulled the safe into the middle of the room and drilled a large hole into it.

Farrer had also taken labels, and a bag that was full of till rolls, and used it to cover the smoke alarm.

The burglary occurred sometime after 5pm on Saturday 1 February 2020.

It was reported to police the following morning when an employee returned to work to find the shop had been broken into.

An investigation led to Farrer’s DNA being found on the labels and the bag used on the smoke alarm, and he was arrested.

Farrer received his sentence for burglary at Chester Crown Court on Friday 28 May 2021 after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

He was also ordered to pay a £149 victim surcharge.

Detective Sergeant Rob McLoughlin, from Runcorn Local Policing Unit, said: “Michael Farrer was determined to break into this bakery store and came equipped to steal money from inside the safe.

“After it was reported to police we conducted a thorough investigation and found fingerprints on numerous items he had touched when trying to conceal the smoke alarm.

“This led to Farrer being identified as the suspect and he was swiftly arrested, charged and has since admitted to his crime in court where he has been rightly punished.”