Two Middleton men receive suspended jail time for roles in a burglary

Two Middleton men have received suspended jail sentences for their roles in a burglary after appearing at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (9 May).

Martin Leo Chubsey, 34, of Sandy Lane, Middleton, and Reece Clegg, 25, of Tonge Roughs, Middleton, were linked to a burglary from 13 July 2018 where an office safe from a Bury pub had been stolen.

Later that day police found the safe in Middleton. Its concrete base had been smashed and the back of the safe had been removed.  

Paul Frater, 33, of Alnwick Road, Blackley, was arrested close by as he tried to escape by climbing over a garden fence. He had £500 in cash stuffed in his socks.

Chubsey was also seen running away and arrested. In a nearby garden in Tonge Roughs, the home address of Clegg, officers discovered angle-grinding discs, sledgehammers and the backing for a safe.

Chubsey received a 20-month jail sentence which was suspended for two years, and Clegg received an 18-month prison sentence which was suspended for two years for handling stolen goods.

Frater was jailed for two years and two months.

Evidence also linked a Salford man to the crime, who was connected with a series of burglaries which targeted cash machines and safes across Greater Manchester. 

Joshua Luke Doyle, 28, of Oaklands Road, Salford, was jailed for four years and six months, alongside two others from Pendlebury and Moston, in connection with a £109,000 burglary in Tyldesley and a Farnworth burglary where £58,660 was stolen from a cash machine.

Steven Lee Hargreaves, 42, of Dalton Drive, Pendlebury, was jailed for four years and two months.

Jordan Taylor, 24, of Windsor Road, Moston, was jailed for three years.

Speaking after sentencing at Manchester Crown Court in Minshull Street, Detective Sergeant Richard Castley from GMPs Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “These men thought they could simply steal tens of thousands of pounds and just walk away. Although they thought they had planned their burglaries well, in reality they left evidence behind and a trail of clues for police officers to follow.  

“We work tirelessly to analyse telephone intelligence and CCTV in order to bring groups of dangerous individuals to justice and I welcome today’s sentences which will take these men off our streets for a long time.” 

The prosecutions followed a joint investigation between police and the intelligence security service, Safercash.

Sarah Staff, Head of SaferCash, British Security Industry Association, said: “This comprehensive investigation run by GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group has dismantled a well organised gang. Cash is still an important payment method used widely across the UK. These crimes are impacting on our local high streets and the access of cash which is vital within communities and should be easily accessible. The industry strongly believes that these types of investigations will act as a deterrent to reduce the number of ATM attacks.

“Throughout this case SaferCash worked in partnership with the investigation team and Cardtronics UK and the outcome of this case highlights the benefits of collaboration.”