Masked gang raided Asda superstore Wakefield for cigarettes, court is told

Two of the four men who targeted the shop at Durkar appeared at Leeds Crown Court, where it was heard the group was apprehended within two hours of committing the planned break-in.

Jack Jervis, 41, and Reese Stewart, 31, who were both held on remand since their arrest, both admitted burglary.

Prosecutor, Adam Walker said CCTV picked up a blue Ford Focus entering the car park of the shop on Asdale Road at 2.32am on November 28 last year.

The group got out all wearing facemasks and were seen prising open the electronic doors with a crowbar, triggering the alarms.

Internal CCTV then spotted them heading straight to the cigarette counter and began filling up a duvet cover they had brought with them with large quantities of cigarettes.

Security staff, altered by the gang's presence, approached the gang but one member turned to them and told them "f*ck off" before making their way out of the shop.

Having seen the footage, police then attended Woodmoor Way in Wakefield, the home address of Jervis, at 4.35am where they found four men and a woman, including Jervis and Stewart.

They found the duvet cover in the property, along with several sleeves of the stolen cigarettes.

The total value of the cigarettes stolen was £5,925.

The court was told that Stewart, of Haslett Drive, Morley, has four previous convictions for nine offences, mainly for motoring.

A probation report said Stewart, a forklift truck driver by trade, claimed he did not plan the raid and simply "went along", admitting he was a "stupid idiot".

The Crown said that Stewart was the getaway driver in the raid on Asda, which he later denied.

Jervis has 16 convictions for 21 offences, including lengthy stints in jail for burglary.

Mitigating for Jervis, Allan Armbrister, said: "He does not seek to blame anyone else. They were in this together."

He said that Jervis had a long-standing heroin addiction, had been on a methadone prescription which was running out and needed money to satisfy his cravings.

While Stewart continued to deny he drove the Ford Focus that night, Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said the blame was shared.

He said: "It was committed by four men who turned up prepared. You had face coverings and had a crowbar to force open the doors.

"You knew where you were going to go and you brought a duvet cover.

"Right from the start it was an organised offence. The four of you participated in it equally. You were in it together.

"When the staff were alerted, one of you shouted at him. That must have been intimidating from someone wearing a disguise."

He jailed for Jervis for 13 months, while Stewart was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.

A third member of the gang was also due to appear in court, but was taken ill, and will be sentenced at a later date.

The fourth member was never caught.