Man jailed for stealing 2,790 PlayStations

Christopher Champion was jailed for eight years for his role in the theft

A man has been jailed for eight years after he stole 2,970 PlayStations from a shipping container.

The games consoles, worth an estimated £769,000, were due to be delivered to the Port of Felixstowe but were instead taken to Essex, police said.

Christopher Champion, 41, was found guilty of theft and handling stolen goods at Ipswich Crown Court.

Robert Ratcliff, 48, Keith Williams, 45 and Darren Brown, 38, were also convicted of handling stolen goods.

Suffolk Police said the PlayStation 4 Slim consoles were due to be shipped to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia before they were stolen in August 2016.

Det Insp John Allison said: "This was a lengthy and complex investigation supported through a close working relationship with Sony Interactive Entertainment."

Champion, of Upland Road in St Helens, Merseyside, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years for theft, two years for handling stolen goods and six months for breaching a suspended sentence.

Ratcliff, of Fairfield Approach in Wraysbury, Staines-upon-Thames, was jailed for three years.

Williams, of Napier Drive in Horwich, Bolton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Brown, of Sandgate Close in Leigh, Wigan, received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Both Williams and Brown were also ordered to adhere to a curfew, rehabilitation and unpaid work.