TWO thieves have been jailed after reversing a van into a department store window and stealing more than £7,000 of stock.
Both from Slough, Martin Bodman, 46, of Parlaunt Road, and Alan Ludlow, 41, of Mean Avenue, Slough, were jailed after a sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court on Monday (October 2).
The pair ram raided Camp Hopson, a department store in Wharf Road, Newbury at about 1.40am on March 6.
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After reversing into the window three times with a Peugeot van, £7,300 of stock was stolen with a further £8,737 of damage done to a wall in the store and £3,900 of damage to the window.
Bodman was jailed for six years, due to further crimes of theft, and Ludlow was jailed for 21 months by Recorder John Ryder.
The court heard that on February 14, Bodman was also involved in the theft of 13 Hugo Boss shirts valued at £1,145 from Fenwick Bracknell in The Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell at about 11.20am.
He was then involved in a robbery at Co-op Food in High Street, Iver, at about 9.40pm on March 12 with an unidentified male.
CCTV footage caught the pair wearing face masks and smashing the tills. A total of £250 was taken from the store till and a further £2,930 was taken from the store’s storage.
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Six days later, Bodman was involved with a robbery at Tesco in Horndean Road, Bracknell, at about 10.45pm on March 18.
Separately, Ludlow was involved in a theft at Asda in Telford Drive, Slough, at about 7.05pm on February 25 with an unidentified woman.
Two televisions were taken from the store through the fire exit.
Both Bodman and Ludlow were remanded in custody and appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court on March 23.
The pair pleaded guilty to the offences at various court hearings from April to August.
In mitigation, the court heard that Bodman has issues with PTSD and has had three hospital admissions from attempting to take his own life.
His barrister also stated he has an IQ of 65 which is ‘extremely low and in the range of a learning disability’.
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The court also heard that Ludlow has had issues with alcohol and drug use but has been using his time in prison well, being awarded ‘enhanced prisoner status’.
Sentencing the pair, Recorder Ryder said: “You knew exactly what you were doing and there’s a degree of audacity.”
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