Two jailed following burglary at Carphone Warehouse in Shrewsbury

Two men who burgled Carphone Warehouse at Meole Brace in Shrewsbury were each sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to the offence at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

At around 8.50pm on Saturday, 12 January this year, four men wearing balaclavas and wielding sledgehammers and crowbars broke into the store on Meole Brace Retail Park and stole mobile phones and cash totalling tens of thousands of pounds.

The men also caused significant damage inside the store which meant that it couldn't open for business the next day.

Following the incident, the four men made off in an Audi S4 and were pursued by police and a police helicopter.

They travelled up to the Manchester area where a stinger device was deployed causing the vehicle to stop and the offenders to decamp.

Two offenders were located a short time later and detained by police. The remaining two suspects are still outstanding and enquiries are ongoing to identify them.

Jordan Wheeldon, 30, of Salford, Manchester pleaded guilty to the offence of burglary and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Christopher Taylor, 33, of Swinton, Manchester pleaded guilty to the offence of burglary and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Detective Sergeant Mat Crisp from West Mercia Police said: "This investigation is an excellent example of cross border policing that involved officers from West Mercia Police, Cheshire Police, Greater Manchester Police and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) that led to the identification, and apprehension of these two men.

"This partnership work also enabled us to retrieve thousands of pounds worth of stolen property that we have been able to return to the company.

"Tackling burglary remains a priority for West Mercia Police and we are committed to protecting our communities and reducing the impact of burglary by working closely with our partner agencies to ensure offenders are brought to justice."