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AYCLIFFETODAY
NEWS BRIEFS
AYCLIFFE MAN JAILED FOR
DAMAGING CAR
A Newton Aycliffe man has been
locked up for damaging a car.
John Alan Charlton, 21, from Honister
Place in the town, appeared at Aycliffe
Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 5th
March, charged with damaging the
windscreen of a Peugeot car.
He was committed to prison for
seven weeks and also ordered to pay
£256 compensation.
SUSPENDED JAIL SENTENCE
FOR TESCO THEFT
A Darlington woman was handed a
suspended jail sentence after she was
caught stealing from Tesco in Newton
Aycliffe.
Lisa Michelle Burnside, of Burnside
Road,
Darlington,
appeared
at
Darlington Magistrates’ Court on 6th
March charged with theft to the value of
£149.90 from Tesco in Aycliffe.
She was committed to prison for
six weeks which was suspended for
12 months, and ordered to pay £20
compensation.
THUGS HURL SLAB
THROUGH CAR WINDOW
Police are investigating after mindless
thugs vandalised three cars in the town
at the weekend.
In the early hours of Saturday 15th
March, suspects scratched paintwork
on two cars in the Guthrum Place area,
while another had a paving slab thrown
through its rear window.
The vehicles involved were a silver
Ford Mondeo, a red Ford Focus and a
silver Vauxhall Meriva.
Anyone with any information is asked
to call the police on 101.
COUNTING THE COST OF
ENVIRO-CRIMES
More than 250 people are counting
the cost after committing environmental
offences in County Durham.
Durham
County
Council’s
Neighbourhood Protection Team issued
240 fixed penalty notices in January and
February, of which 169 were for littering,
38 were for failing to comply with a litter
clearing notice and 33 were for failing
to pick up after a dog, while a further 11
people were prosecuted for littering after
they failed to pay fixed penalty notices
which had previously been issued to
them.
Anyone with information about
environmental offences and those
responsible is asked to contact Durham
County Council on 03000 26 1000.
EASY PICKINGS FOR
OPPORTUNE THIEVES
CHLOE McKENNA talks to Aycliffe Neighbourhood Police
Team Sergeant MARK EDWARDS about an increasing
problem in Newton Aycliffe…
When a routine call came into the
police team at Aycliffe HQ, officers
didn’t expect it to be the beginning
of a mini crime-wave.
A vehicle had been broken into.
But then, in quick succession, six
more calls followed, and all from
the same area of the town.
After sifting through local CCTV
footage, PC Mike Welsh quickly
identified a local young male as a
potential suspect.
PC Welsh visited the address
of the 17-year-old suspect and
recovered a number of stolen
goods, including sat-navs and bank
cards.
But then, shockingly, the suspect
admitted to a further 65 offences
committed in the Aycliffe and
Shildon areas.
“The young thief talked candidly
about how easy it is to break into
cars,” says Sergeant Edwards.
“In fact, he doesn’t even have to
break in. He rarely has to smash a
window. He told us that, typically, if
he tried opening a row of 20 cars,
about 14 would be unlocked.
30,000+ PEOPLE
“The public of Aycliffe need to be
aware of how easy they’re making it
for opportunists to commit crimes.
Ultimately, if you leave valuables on
display in your car and leave the
doors unlocked, you’re practically
asking for thieves to take things.”
To help prevent these petty
crimes, Newton Aycliffe Policing
Team use “Operation Hawkeye”.
This involves Police Community
Support Officers checking parked
vehicles for items of value.
If an officer finds a vehicle with
a valuable left on show, then they
track the registration of the car and
a crime prevention letter will be
sent t