A man from Bury St Edmunds has been sentenced for a string of motor vehicle offences.
Sean Abrey, aged 34 and of Northgate Street in Bury St. Edmunds appeared before Ipswich Magistrates Court on Thursday 9 September
He was sentenced to an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months after pleading guilty. It follows his arrest and charge in connection with an incident of theft from a motor vehicle and theft of a motor vehicle in Bury St Edmunds in May this year and was subsequently charged with these two offences.
Following his arrest and charge, Abrey chose to engage with the Operation Converter team. This saw 19 offences admitted to and taken into consideration. They consisted of 13 cases of interference with motor vehicles, including 11 in the Bell Meadow area of Bury St Edmunds on one evening on 27 January and two cases of theft from motor vehicles in the same road and on the same night. There was also one attempted theft from shops and two thefts which involved stealing keys and a purse from two people in Bury Cathedral in September 2020.
Abrey must also carry out unpaid work for 100 hours within the next 12 months.
Duncan Etchells from the Op Converter team said: “Abrey is working with Turning Point scheme and is making a real effort to turn his life around by taking advantage of any help that is offered and has hopes of returning to work as a labourer. This is another great example of how the Op Converter scheme can give an offender a clean slate if they admit to other offences committed and I only hope that Abrey continues on the positive path he now seems to be on.”
Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes. This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence. Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then ‘taken into consideration’ at sentencing.