Man jailed for series of thefts from bowling alleys
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A man has been jailed for a series of thefts from bowling alleys in Cheshire, causing more than £4,000 in damages.
Damien Rigby, of Lancaster Road, Hindley, Wigan, was previously charged with four counts of theft and four counts of criminal damage.
The 38-year-old appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 1 October where he pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced to six months.
Rigby attended Superbowl UK in Golden Square Shopping Centre, Warrington, on three separate occasions, damaging and stealing from arcade machines during opening hours, just metres away from members of the public visiting the establishment.
The first was on 19 May 2024, at around 2.15pm. A total of £273 was stolen from two arcade machines after damage was caused to them and cash was stolen from the cash box inside. The total cost of damages to the two machines was £1,195.
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Two months later, on 15 July, Rigby entered the same Superbowl bowling alley in Warrington and was captured on CCTV using a screwdriver to tamper with an arcade machine and empty money into his pockets. On this occasion he stole a total of £309.50 and caused £1,045 in damages.
At around 6.15pm on 14 August, Rigby returned to the location a third time and damaged three arcade machines, stealing a total of £178.30, and causing £1,485 in damages.
Less than two weeks later, on 25 August, Rigby targeted another Superbowl UK location, this time in The Hive Leisure Park, Widnes. He stole a total of £95.20 from two arcade machines and caused £905 in damages.
Rigby was subsequently arrested on Monday 30 September following CCTV enquiries and later charged.
On top of his sentence, he will need to pay back almost £5,500 in compensation to account for the money he stole and the damages caused.
Inspector Lee Hillyard said:
“Rigby was completely brazen in his offending, targeting premises during opening hours, just metres away from those who were enjoying time at the bowling alley. It’s clear he had absolutely no regard for others, or for those he was stealing from, only wanting to get a bit of extra cash.
“But his efforts were to no avail. His offending was clearly captured on CCTV, leaving him with no choice but to plead guilty.
“Not only is he now behind bars for his crimes, but he will also have to pay back a hefty sum of money to cover both what he stole and the damage he caused to the arcade machines. This should serve as a reminder that crime really does not pay.”