Marlborough fishing gear thief is jailed (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Marlborough fishing gear thief is jailed

11:00am Friday 12th October 2012 in News

A burglar who stole fishing tackle from a garage in Marlborough has been jailed for 16 months.

Harley Webb was on early release from a three-and-a-half year prison term for robbery when he took the gear from the garage in Chiminage Close and put it in his father’s garage nearby.

Webb, 23, had at first denied the offence and asked his father to take the rap on his behalf when he appeared at Swindon Crown Court.

But minutes after the case was put off for trial he asked to be brought back into court so he could change his plea.

After admitting the break-in prosecutors said they would drop a charge of perverting the course of justice.

Claire Marlow, for the Crown, said that the garage in Chiminage Close, Marlborough, was broken into in July and police received a tip off that the £3,000 worth of equipment would be found in the garage owned by Webb’s father. When officers looked inside the garage they found the stolen items.

When Harley Webb, of Croft Road, Swindon, was questioned he denied taking the items and it was alleged he phoned his father to ask him to take responsibility.

The court heard that he was jailed for 42 months in December 2010 after admitting taking part in a robbery. He was freed on early release and had two jobs at the time of the offence. Mark Ashley, defending, said the theft was a stupid mistake by his client.