Man jailed after breaking into three Peterborough bars
His accomplice was handed a suspended sentence
A man who admitted breaking into three Peterborough bars has been jailed.
Sean Hood, 35, and his accomplice, Adele Machin, 46, were both arrested on 13 September last year just hours after they had worked together to burgle three businesses in the city centre.
At about 3am, Hood was caught on CCTV wearing a ski mask and using an axe to smash through glass doors at The Brewery Tap, Westgate, and enter with an unknown man while Machin acted as lookout.
He went behind the bar area and checked the tills but dropped his rucksack on the ground and left it behind while he made off with a cash float from one of the tills.
Almost three hours later, the trio returned to the scene of the crime – believed to have been to collect the forgotten rucksack – however upon seeing bar staff who were now at the location, they made a sharp exit.
Unfortunately for them, Hood and Machin failed to cover their faces this time and were caught clearly on camera.
The trio then headed to Broadway before Hood forced his way into College Arms while Machin again remained outside.
He repeatedly hit the tills with the axe to force them open and remove a cash float, as well as attempting to force open a gambling machine but was unsuccessful.
The ordeal was over within three minutes before the trio moved onto their third and final target – The Chalkboard café at Peterborough’s Embankment.
CCTV showed Machin again acting as lookout while the two men smashed the glass doors and stole the cash float from the till tray.
Hood and Machin were identified from the CCTV footage later that morning and both arrested in the city centre – Machin was found to be in possession of a folding lock-knife.
The pair appeared at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) where Hood, of Viersen Platz, central Peterborough, was sentenced to a year-and-a-half in prison after previously admitting three counts of burglary including theft and being in possession of a blade in a public place, namely an axe.
Machin, of Oundle Road, Woodston, was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting the same burglary offences as well as three counts of theft from a shop (Boots and B&M) relating to offences last year. The possession of a knife offence will lie on file.
She was also sentenced to two months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years for driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after a road accident, failing to report an accident, driving without a licence and driving without insurance – all relating to a head-on collision in Park Road on 12 December 2021 where she attempted to overtake three parked vehicles and collided with an oncoming car, causing severe bruising and whiplash to its driver.
Jason Harris, 47, of North Street, central Peterborough, was initially charged with conspiracy to burgle with intent to steal, however this was dropped in court earlier this year.
Detective Constable Pete Wise, who investigated, said: “Hood was extremely brazen in his actions, without a care for the businesses involved.
“Although he tried to conceal his identity initially, his guard slipped and he made some mistakes which made our job much easier in securing evidence against him, meaning he had little choice but to admit the charges in court.”