Operation Castle: Walton man jailed for burglary conspiracy offences

Detectives from Operation Castle, our dedicated burglary team, are welcoming the sentencing of a Walton man to two years and eight months in prison for burglary conspiracy offences.

19-year-old Carl Power of Wilburn Street was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday 27 April.

Following a lengthy investigation, Power was arrested in January 2021 and charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to steal motor vehicles; relating to a total of 8 burglary offences  in various locations across Merseyside between September 2019 and January 2020.   

During these offences, vehicles were reportedly stolen, some of which remain outstanding. Further offences were taken into consideration by the court, including a further burglary which occurred on Christmas Day in Dane Street, Walton, a further three burglaries whereby vehicles were stolen in January 2021, an attempted burglary in January 2021 and the handling of stolen goods.

Power was also charged with aiding and abetting with dangerous driving in relation to an offence in September in 2019 the Sleepers Hill area, in which he was on a motorcycle being driven dangerously. He was sentenced to six months in prison for this offence, to be run concurrently, and was disqualified for driving for 26 months.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Tony O’Brien, who leads Operation Castle, said: “It is pleasing to see that Carl Power has been removed from the streets for the foreseeable future, after causing a great deal of distress and harm with his prolific offending.

“To be a victim of burglary can have a profound effect on the lives of victims, from the shock and unease felt by having somebody invade your home, the inconvenience of losing property, through to the often severe long-term psychological impacts. We hope that today’s sentence not only helps each of his victims, but also gives Power pause for thought at the direction his life has taken, while he reflects on his crimes.

“Since the launch of Operation Castle in 2018, we have seen offenders sentenced to a total of more than 300 years in prison and seen burglary offences decrease year on year. Vital to this progress is information from those people, businesses and communities affected, so keep coming forward and we will take action.

“It’s also worth having a look at the different ways you can make your homes unattractive targets for would-be criminals. Advice is available on our website for locks, cameras and other measures to bring greater security and peace of mind.”

For more information, see here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/ and for more, follow our force social media accounts @MerseyPolice on Twitter and Merseyside Police on Facebook and your local account.

Always call 999 if a burglary is in progress. You can also pass information to the social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, call 101 or the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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