A LANDSCAPE gardener from Evesham who took part in a burglary at a housing development near Studley has escaped jail after he was given the chance to name his accomplice.
John Davies, 41, of Spring Valley had been due to be sentenced earlier this year after pleading guilty at Warwick Crown Court to a charge of attempted burglary.
But his case was adjourned for him to make a statement to police after it was said he had turned over a new leaf and was willing to identify the other man involved.
At the resumed hearing, after being told there was a hand-written statement before the court, Judge Richard Griffith-Jones sentenced Davies to nine months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered him to do 150 hours of unpaid work.
At the previous hearing prosecutor Simon Hunka said the burglary in June last year was of storage containers at a building site in Henley Road, Outhill, near Studley.
The court heard at around 4am security guard Mark Randle was at home in bed when he received an alert of intruders at the site, which had been targeted on four or five previous occasions.
He drove there, and when he arrived he heard a noise coming from the site, then saw two men in dark clothing.
Mr Randle called his boss and the police before driving away briefly rather than trying to confront the intruders.
When he returned he saw a red van with L & J Landscaping on the side, with two men in it, which sped away with its lights off when they saw his car approaching.
He checked the site, and found the padlocks had been broken on two storage containers.
When a carpenter later arrived for work he found a wheelbarrow had been filled with power tools from the containers.
The van was traced to Davies and he was arrested at his home on June 18, but made no comment when he was questioned.
Mr Hunka added Davies had previous convictions dating back as far as 1992 for offences including theft, robbery, burglary and handling stolen goods, but none since 2012.
Jasvir Mann, representing Davies at that hearing, said: “He is repentant and contrite.”
Judge Griffith-Jones adjourned the case, telling Davies: “As you’ve repented, you will no doubt help the prosecution find the other person.”
At the resumed hearing, Judge Griffith-Jones acknowledged the statement as a ‘useful document’ and told Davies: “You say that you have turned over a new leaf. I believe there is truth in that, and it is important I have regard to that prospect.
“You have got a bad record, and this is not a trivial burglary.
“If you had not demonstrated the turning over of a new leaf, you may well have lost your liberty immediately,” he added.
