A 34-year-old man from Bury St Edmunds has been jailed for nine months after an incident at a convenience shop in the town last month.
Steven Perrio, of Bevis Walk, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Wednesday 10 January where he pleaded guilty to burglary, common assault and disobeying a court order.
Perrio received six-month prison sentences for the burglary and assault offences, which will run concurrently. He was ordered to pay £250 in compensation to the victim and £332 in costs and other charges.
He was also sentenced to three months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively for being in breach of a suspended sentence.
The crimes occurred on Wednesday 13 December, when at just before 4.30am Perrio smashed a window at Eastgate Stores in Eastgate Street and entered the building, stealing over £2,000 worth of tobacco products from within.
The break-in triggered the alarm system and the shopkeeper arrived at the scene to investigate, encountering Perrio who was still inside. He was punched and knocked to the floor by Perrio who then fled the scene.
Police were called and following initial enquiries Perrio was quickly identified as a suspect. Officers located him later that same morning where he was arrested and officers located a bag within the flat containing tobacco pouches.
Perrio was released on bail pending further enquiries, but was rearrested on Tuesday 9 January after the results from forensic tests found his DNA present in a swab taken from the scene. He was then charged and remanded to appear before magistrates the next day.
Sergeant Joe Nettleton, of the Bury St Edmunds Community Policing Team, said: “We will not tolerate shopkeepers and other business owners being targeted by criminals and I hope the swift action taken by our officers in this case demonstrates this.
“Crimes against businesses are not victimless – not only are there are financial implications of lost stock and the damage caused to premises – but as shown in this case, the people who work there can come to harm too.”