Man jailed following Northwich burglary series

A man who committed a series of burglaries at businesses across Northwich has been jailed.

Richard Ennis appeared at Chester Magistrates' Court on Monday 12 June where he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment .

The 44-year-old of Beaufort Close, Hartford, had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary other than a dwelling, three counts of attempted burglary other than a dwelling and one count of breach of bail.

Ennis’ offending began on Tuesday 9 May when he broke into a restaurant at Northwich Quay on London Road.

He was arrested within hours of the offence and charged in relation to the incident before appearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 10 May where he was released on conditional bail.

His reoffending began on Thursday 1 June when he went on a 48-hour crime spree in Northwich.

Between 1 and 2 June, Ennis conducted five burglaries over the two nights at businesses across the town, these included incidents at a garage, two pubs, and a dentist along with a second burglary at the Northwich Quay restaurant.

During the same period he also attempted to break into a café, a petrol station and a high street shop.

Ennis’ crime spree was brought to a conclusion on Friday 7 June after officers launched a public manhunt for the offender leading to his arrest in Hartford.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Claire Heatley from Northwich Proactive team, said:

“Ennis is a prolific offender and I welcome the fact that the is now back behind bars.

“During his crime spree he only managed to steal £355 cash, yet he caused thousands of pounds worth of damage along with loss of trade for some of the businesses involved.

“On top if this, he also had the audacity to break into a business he had burgled before and was on bail awaiting sentencing for.

“Thankfully, as a result of the support and intelligence we received from the local community, we were able to quickly locate, and arrest Ennis and he is now being held accountable for his actions.

“I hope that his sentencing provides reassurance to the local business community and to residents across Hartford and Northwich.”