A man has been jailed for 11 years after pleading guilty to a string of offences.

Levi Hilden, aged 36 and of Birkfield Drive of Ipswich was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday (Wed 27 January) for burglary, theft, conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to burgle and threatening an individual with an offensive weapon.

The offences took place between December 2018 and January 2020.

In one incident in Sudbury in December 2019 he threatened two people with an axe whilst they were placing belongings in their parked car in Quay Lane. Jewellery, an i-phone, keys and other personal property were taken from the couple.

He was also involved in a burglary on 13 December 2019 at Boots on Market Hill in Sudbury when a large amount of perfume and aftershave were taken. Hilden was also involved in a further burglary that took place the same morning at Nethergate Brewery on Rodbridge Hill in Long Melford where a safe had been broken into. Hilden was also convicted of a burglary that took place in the early hours of 8 January 2020 at Hennessey Lifestyle on Sudbury Road in Little Whelnetham where the premises was broken into using a sledgehammer with cash stolen. On 31 December 2018 he was responsible for the burglary of a property in Kirton with passports, cash , jewellery and ornaments stolen in the process by Hilden.

DS Paul Cappleman from Bury St Edmunds CID said “Hilden was an individual who caused a great deal of distress and upset and he showed little concern for the impact his actions had on the victims. Such acts of robbery and burglary are extremely intrusive crimes and would have been extremely frightening to have experienced. .A sentence like this acts as a deterrent to other would be burglars that the courts take this type of offending very seriously.”