Prolific burglar jailed following crime spree across Warrington and Widnes

Daivd Roberts appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 26 June, where he was jailed for 26 months.

The sentencing comes after the 43-year-old of HMP Altcourse, Liverpool admitted three counts of burglary with intent to steal and one count of criminal damage.

The court was told that, across April 2025, Roberts broke into three properties across the Warrington and Widnes areas and stole a number of items.

Roberts first struck at around at around 1pm on Sunday 6 April 2025, when he entered the Mosque on Arpley Street, Warrington without good reason.

Once inside the building he stole a Samsung mobile phone and a jacket.

The incident was reported to police at Warrington Neighbourhood Policing Team who quickly identified Roberts as the offender after reviewing CCTV footage.

Roberts was swiftly arrested and stated that he didn’t recall the incident, but he admitted entering the Mosque as a trespasser with intent to steal. He was later charged with burglary before being released on bail.

Despite being on bail, Roberts went on to burgle two other premises.

On Tuesday 29 April, Roberts forcibly gained entry into a foodbank on Lugsdale Road, Widnes, by smashing an exterior window. While forcing entry, Roberts had cut himself, resulting in a substantial amount of blood on the broken shards of glass and throughout the property.

Despite this, he conducted an untidy search inside, taking a number of grocery items from a storeroom before leaving through the broken window. Again, the incident was captured on CCTV.

The following day, Roberts returned to Warrington where he forced his way into a locked rectory area of a church on Bewsey Street through a window. An alarm was triggered and officers from Warrington Police attended the scene, conducting a search of the rectory and the surrounding church grounds.

Roberts was located, attempting to hide in a bathroom, and was swiftly arrested. Officers also found around £500 in cash that had been taken from an office in the building that had been hidden in a nearby rubbish bin.

Further enquiries would show Roberts in the grounds of the church immediately prior to the alarm being activated.

In his interview with detectives, Roberts denied that he had forced entry into the rectory and claimed that he had been let in by a member of staff to use the bathroom. He could not account for how the money had been located in the nearby bin.

Regarding the incident at the Widnes foodbank, he initially denied the offences but gave a full admission of burglary after he was shown the CCTV from the premises.

Following his sentencing, Police Sergeant Graham Robinson said:

“David Roberts is prolific burglar who has taken from a several properties that are specifically designed to support and give into their local communities.

"Despite being under investigation for the burglary at the Mosque on Arpley Street, that he had targeted less than a year prior, he chose to force his way into two further addresses where he had no right to be and taking a number of items that did not belong to him.

“This case really does show the importance of installing both internal and external cameras to protect your homes from would-be thieves, as the CCTV in place at these three addresses were truly vital in us catching Roberts, bringing him to justice and putting him back behind bars – where he belongs.”