A thief who used a stolen lorry cab to make off with a trailer loaded with almost 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs surrendered to police with his hands up, a court has heard. Joby Pool, whose lorry on false plates was dubbed “the Easter bunny” by West Mercia Police, is expected to be jailed for around two years next month, after pleading guilty to theft and criminal damage.
The 32-year-old used a metal grinder to break into an industrial unit in Telford, Shropshire, on Saturday, before driving off with assorted chocolate goods worth more than £31,000. Magistrates sitting in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, were told Pool, from West Yorkshire, had previous convictions for a similar offence, having been dealt with at Derby Crown Court in 2019 for theft, handling stolen goods and driving while disqualified.
Opening the facts of the case on Tuesday, prosecutor Owen Beale told magistrates: “I don’t know if you have seen the news recently – there was a load that was stolen and on the trailer was Cadbury’s products – a large number of Creme Eggs. The police were told there had been a break-in at SW Logistics. A grinder had been used to get through the gate.”
