Man who cut hole in shop roof to steal guns jailed

Gavin Smedley was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday

A burglar who cut a hole in the roof of a shop to steal firearms has been jailed.

Gavin Smedley, 37, was caught with three stolen firearms after he broke into a the shop in Doncaster in March, South Yorkshire Police said.

During his police interview, he claimed he found the weapons in the shop's car park, despite evidence being found suggesting he had used a saw to cut through the store's roof.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, Smedley, of Old Hexthorpe, was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

He had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of burglary and three counts of possessing a firearm without a certificate.

According to South Yorkshire Police, officers were alerted to the break-in after the shop's intruder alarm was activated on 17 March.

Within two minutes, they arrived at the scene and caught Smedley with three firearms.

Following his arrest, Smedley claimed he had been walking through the car park of the shop when he had happened upon the guns.

However, officers later found a hole which had been the cut in the shop’s roof, as well as a wood saw near the scene.

Following Smedley's sentencing, Constable Luke O’Donnell said: “We know the terror and pain gun crime causes within our local communities.

“The damage Smedley could have caused if he had been successful in stealing these guns cannot be understated."

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