A TEAM of professional burglars cut open the safe at a Stafford restaurant and got away with £3,000 in takings, a judge heard.
The gang smashed the smoke detector system and neutralised the burglar alarm at Frankie and Benny’s diner at The Hough and broke in through a rear door, said David Rouse, prosecuting.
A power grinder was used to cut the back off the safe and the burglars made off with the cash, other items including the manager’s satnav and the hard-drive from the closed circuit TV’s computer.
However, police were still able to view the footage via the internet.
It showed four men entering the premises on February 2 this year.
Still images of the burglars were distributed to police forces and Manchester police identified Marc Murray as one of the gang. When he was arrested, the defendant made no comment to police questions.
Murray, aged 24, from Salford, who admitted a charge of burglary, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and curfewed for four months, with £120 costs to pay.
Judge Simon Tonking told him: “You were involved in what was a professional commercial burglary and you are no stranger to such crimes, targeting premises where you know you are likely to find substantial property.” Stafford Crown Court heard that Murray had previous convictions involving disarming alarm systems.
Judge Tonking was told that another member of the gang had been dealt with at Manchester Crown Court when the break-in at Frankie and Benny’s had been taken into consideration with other offences.
“One of your co-accused has got off lightly,” the judge told Murray.
Michelle Heeley, defending, said Murray had borrowed some money to buy a scooter, had been unable to repay it and was threatened.
The police had given him an official warning that his personal safety might be at risk and issued him and his family with panic alarms. He decided to take part in the Stafford break-in to repay the debt.
