A burglar has been jailed for nearly 14 years for a string of offences in the Midlands and the north of England, including an attempted ram raid at a Newcastle jewellery shop.
Northumbria Police were made aware that a transit-type van had been driven into the front of Sunny's Jewellers, on Tamworth Road in the city’s West End, at about 3.30pm on Tuesday, March 17, this year.
The white Ford vehicle reversed into the store several times before the offenders made off empty-handed in a car waiting nearby.
But about £100,000 worth of damage was caused to the store in the failed burglary bid.
Following inquiries, suspect Mohammed Ruman Khan was arrested on March 23.
Officers then also linked Khan to a robbery and an attempted robbery the previous day in West Yorkshire, along with an aggravated burglary offence in Birmingham less than two weeks later.
He was subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated burglary.
The 22-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to the offences at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday, June 5 and was remanded in custody.
Khan, of Westgate Road, Newcastle, appeared back before the same court on Friday, July 10, when he received a total prison sentence of 13 years and 10 months.
Following the hearing, Detective Constable Matthew Cain, from the Northumbria force’s Newcastle High Impact Team, said: “We are extremely pleased Khan is now behind bars.
“This type of behaviour will simply not be tolerated.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the store owners for their co-operation and to our colleagues in West Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police for their assistance during our comprehensive investigation which has ultimately helped to put a dangerous man in jail.
“We want people to feel safe in our communities and we will do everything we can to put a stop to this type of criminality.”
He added: “Inquires are ongoing to locate the other offenders involved in the ram raid and we would urge anyone with any information to get in touch.”
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Anyone with information should send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use the ‘live chat’ or ‘report’ forms on the force website.
Alternatively, they could make contact by calling 101.
Callers are asked to quote reference number 26000306728.
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