A Leicester man who was involved in a ram raid at a shop in Wigston has been sentenced after pleading guilty to his part in the incident.
Lee Smith was arrested within days of the incident after enquiries led officers to him but he was released from custody due to insufficient evidence.
However, after a thorough examination of a mobile phone found when he was arrested officers were able to secure evidence linking 21-year-old Smith to items stolen during the incident.
Smith was re-arrested and subsequently charged with burglary (other than dwelling).
At a hearing last month Smith of Arnesby Crescent pleaded guilty to the offence and today (Thursday 17 February) he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work.
During the evening of Tuesday 22 September 2020, a car was driven into the front window of Superdrug in Bell Street. Four men were seen getting out of the car with holdalls which they used to steal a large quantity of perfume from the premises.
The Nissan Almera was then driven away and later found burnt out in the Saffron Lane area of Leicester.
Detective Sergeant Paul Woods from Harborough and Wigston CID, said: “Throughout the interviews with Smith he remained silent but the evidence we obtained from his phone left him no choice but to plead guilty at court.
“When he was arrested he initially claimed the phone didn’t belong to him but after examination it was clear that it was in fact Smith’s phone.
“We are pleased that he has been convicted for his part in the offence and our investigations to identify others that were involved remains ongoing.
“If anyone has any information which may assist in moving the investigation forward they are encouraged to get in touch. Any information, no matter how insignificant it may sound could help.”
Anyone who can help is asked to contact 101 or report via www.leics.police.uk, quoting crime number 20*499567.