Two men who smashed into two shops and carried out high-value thefts during a five-day crime spree across Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside earlier this year have been convicted.
Louis Johnson and Michael Pemberton, both of Sunderland, have pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to commit burglary when they appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on 11 May.
In the first incident, they deliberately drove a vehicle through the Harbour View service station in Sunderland in the early hours of March 9 before raiding the shop and making off. They then ram-raided the One Stop shop on Blind Lane in Silksworth less than 45 minutes later, and carried out several high-value thefts across the city just days earlier.
Johnson, 30, and Pemberton 37, were arrested shortly after the ram-raids when police found a silver Volkswagen with substantial damage driving along Ryhope Road. The pair made off from officers and abandoned the car near the Civic Centre, but were quickly detained.
“I would also like to reassure businesses that we will continue to work hand-in-hand with you and use every tactic at our disposal to ensure thieves and burglars are taken off our streets and have their day in court,” Detective Sergeant Chris Raper-Smith, of Northumbria Police, said.
“We will not tolerate this type of criminality and hope this sends out a strong message to other would-be criminals.”
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