A 29-year-old man from Rochdale has been jailed for stealing two expensive watches from pawnbrokers, after asking to try on the luxury items before running away with them.
Johari Nazir Carter, also known as Graham Bagasan, stole a Cartier watch from a pawnbrokers on Yorkshire Street, Rochdale, on June 15 2021, asking members of staff to let him view the expensive item, before grabbing it and running away. The man, of Clock Tower Court, Rochdale, committed a similar theft in London.
There, he stole a Rolex from a pawnbrokers on Kingsland High Street, London, with the same trick, asking to see the luxury watch before sprinting away with it. Both watches are estimated to have a combined value of around £21,000.
Carter has previously stolen from jewellers and pawnbrokers across the north of England using a similar method in 2018 and 2019, and had already been convicted for these crimes. SaferGems, an initiative that aims to tackle crime in the retail jewellery, antiques, and fine arts trade, was already aware of Carter and his methods, and helped officers to identify the thief.
The man appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on July 20, this year, where he was sentenced to ten months imprisonment, with a further 18 months added to his sentence after appearing at Wood Green Crown Court in London on August 1.
SaferGems, which has been running since June 2009, helped link the two forces together, enabling Carter's prosecution to flow more smoothly. Sarah Staff, director of the British Security Industry Association, and head of SaferGems said "SaferGems works closely with retail jewellers who are members of the National Association of Jewellers or clients of TH March Insurance Brokers. We aim to support UK Policing in collaboration with the retail jewellery industry to identify and apprehend offenders in addition to crime prevention.
"The excellent work undertaken by Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police resulted in Carter receiving a significant sentence for these offences. On behalf of the industry, we would like to thank all those involved for their hard work in bringing these cases to a successful outcome”.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT :
