Man jailed for burglaries at Tesco Express store after police trace tracker on hire car that he used for crimes
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Aaron Paul Morgan was jailed for 32 months yesterday at Southampton Crown Court after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary and one of attempted burglary after three Tesco Express stores were targeted across Hampshire last year.
The 29-year-old of Sydney Avenue, Hamble-le-Rice, who acted as part of a group that smashed through security systems with a sledgehammer at stores in Farlington, Andover and Brockenhurst to steal cash, was found by police after a tracker was traced on a hire car he used for one of the break-ins.
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Hide AdDet Con Paul Beasley from the Operation Hawk Team based at Southampton Central said: ‘Morgan did all he could to avoid us. He used hire cars or vans which he purchased and then did not register with the DVLA, and used cloned number plates to disguise. He then used tools he purchased especially for these offences and as well as gloves and face coverings to prevent him from being identified by CCTV.
‘Ultimately, Aaron Morgan’s undoing was his failure to realise that the hire car he was using was fitted with a tracker. This essentially left a breadcrumb trail from his home address in Hamble, to B&Q in Hedge End were he purchased a sledgehammer and then on to Andover where both he and the sledgehammer were used in a commercial burglary.
‘This case demonstrates how technological improvements in all our everyday lives can assist us in bringing those responsible for serious and organised crime to justice.’
CCTV footage caught Morgan buying a sledge hammer from B&Q Hedge End at 8.25pm on August 16, 2019 before obtained footage showed Morgan and three unknown men breaking into Tesco Express in Andover on August 17 at 4.05am before the sledgehammer was used to smash cash boxes from behind the till.
It is believed Morgan made off with around £1,000.
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Hide AdOfficers established that a Ford Fiesta had been used in the burglary and the vehicle was seen on August 18, 2019 in Hamble.
Police signalled for it to pull over but it failed to stop and so officers pursued the car before occupants of the vehicle stopped and ran off.
During forensic examination, it was discovered the vehicle had a tracker which showed where the car had been, specifically between Morgan’s home address, B&Q and the Tesco Express.
Once arrested for the burglary, Morgan then admitted to police that he was also responsible for an attempted burglary at the Tesco Express in Farlington, Portsmouth on October 1, 2019 at 3.07am. The CCTV from the store showed three men trying to gain entry but without success.
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Hide AdMorgan also admitted to being involved in a burglary at Tesco Express in Brockenhurst, again on October 1, 2019, at 4.40am.
CCTV footage from the store showed a yellow Nissan Juke and white Renault Kangoo driving past the store a number of times before parking up.
Three men, agreed to be the same people seen on CCTV earlier at the Tesco in Farlington, smashed the main entrance glass with a sledgehammer before trying unsuccessfully to remove the cash boxes behind the till before leaving in the Renault Kangoo van.
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Hide AdNearby police followed the vehicle before it crashed into a brick wall of a residential property in Sandy Lane, Lyndhurst, and the occupants ran off.
Police dogs were deployed and found Morgan hiding in a back garden. Officers recovered the Renault Kangoo and found a petrol disc cutter, sledgehammer and crowbars inside.
DC Beasley said: ‘These crimes have a significant impact on the local areas which these stores serve. This is in addition to the financial impact it has on Tesco and emotional effect on its employees.
‘Those taking part in such criminal activities show a dedication to a criminal lifestyle and it’s clear that they have no regard to how their actions affect the wider community.’