A gang of professional burglars stole guns to sell to the criminal underworld.
Shaun Rimmer and Adam Hastings led a "team" of crooks which targeted homes where firearms including shotguns were kept, hoping to pinch them "for criminal use". They and fellow burglar Callum Martin also ransacked dozens of secluded homes to steal up to tens of thousands of pounds of jewellery per time.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that Merseyside Police's dedicated burglary unit Operation Castle launched Operation Coliseum in order to investigate 37 separate burglaries which were committed between January and April 2021 across Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales. Homes in Formby, Birkdale, Southport, Blundellsands and Hightown were among those targeted with cash, jewellery, watches and vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of pounds stolen.
