He walked into a North Wales shopping centre and stole jewellery worth £56k

A thief walked into a North Wales shopping centre before making off with jewellery worth more than £50,000. Iain Butterworth went into the Deiniol Shopping Centre on Bangor High Street while it was closed, before smashing his way into an antiques shop.

The 50-year-old, of Plas Marchogion, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, filled a plastic bag with jewellery worth around £56,100 before fleeing the shopping centre. He appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday, November 15th after admitting theft and criminal damage and was jailed for two years and eight months.

The court heard that on March 25, 2023, Butterworth trespassed into the shopping centre while it was shut, and used a tool to break the glass doors of the shop. The theft was caught on CCTV and Butterworth was identified.

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PC Stephanie Owen, from North Wales Police, said: “Burglary of any type is an invasive crime, and it can be extremely difficult for victims to come to terms with offenders having entered their homes or businesses to steal property. In this instance Butterworth showed no regard for those business owners or their possessions.

“We are determined to keep putting burglars behind bars, and we welcome the custodial sentence handed down by the courts on this occasion."

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