A man who “ram raided” a Tesco Express by smashing his car through the store and stealing more than £3,000 has been jailed.
Robin Vaughan hit the store in Northwich, Cheshire, with a silver Nissan Navara on 16 June and made off with the cash and a bag of parcels, Cheshire Police said.
Vaughan of Lyon Close, St Helens, was jailed for three years at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to committ burglary.
Police said the 35-year-old “went to great lengths” to plan and co-ordinate the “carefully orchestrated” incident.
The court heard the car Vaughan used was later found in a field in Dutton along with the stolen parcels.
The vehicle had been stolen from a home in Lancashire in May and driven from Merseyside to Weaverham before it was parked on a street near the Tesco store the night before the incident, a force spokesman said.
CCTV footage showed the car being driven in convoy with a blue Ford Focus, which had later returned to Merseyside. The same car returned to Weaverham on the night of the incident.
Records showed that the Ford Focus was registered to a woman in Southdene, Kirkby. Police then conducted a warrant at an address on Mosslawn Road on 8 October which led to the arrest of Vaughan and a 39-year-old woman.
Vaughan was later charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary.
“During the incident, not only did he steal more than £3,000 cash, but he also caused more than £35,000 worth of damage to the store, PC Dan Lee said.
This led to the store being closed for two days, resulting in the loss of £24,000 trade, he added.
“I welcome the prison sentence handed to Vaughan and I hope it acts as warning to others who are thinking of coming to Cheshire to commit crime.”