A man who stole Pokémon cards to the value of £62,000 from a gaming shop has been jailed, Cheshire Police have said.
Shane Johnson, 37, who has no fixed address, received a sentence of 45 months and four weeks at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after admitting burglary with intent to steal.
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His younger brother Keith Johnson, 33, had already been handed 29 months at the same court on July 2 for the same offences.
The pair targeted Celestial Collectables, a retailer dealing in rare and valuable Pokémon cards, on the evening of April 8.
Police were called to the premises in Warrington after reports that the shop’s window was being smashed and the interior was being ransacked.
When officers arrived and entered through the broken door, they found Pokémon cards “strewn across the floor,” Cheshire Police said.
Investigators recovered a crowbar from the scene that had been used to destroy the door window.
Shelving and display cabinets were also damaged inside the store.
The total value of cards taken was £62,000.
The physical damage to the shop exceeded £3,000.
CCTV analysis revealed the brothers had driven a white Ford Transit van fitted with cloned number plates from Birmingham to Warrington on the day of the break-in.
The vehicle had previously been filmed parked outside Keith’s home.
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Footage also captured the van breaking down in Warrington.
The pair were forced to push it along the street to reach a second van that had also travelled up from Birmingham.
They loaded the stolen haul into this replacement vehicle, which was subsequently found near Shane’s address.
The Johnsons also targeted The Graded Gallery in Rugby, using a crowbar to force entry before fleeing in a Nissan X-Trail.
Combined stock losses and damage from that raid surpassed £9,000.
Both men were subsequently arrested, and officers searching Keith’s address recovered stolen property belonging to Celestial Collectables, along with other items.
DC Hannah Smith said: “The overwhelming evidence collected through our extensive enquiries put them at both crime scenes giving them no choice but to plead guilty.”
She added: “The brothers will now have to pay the price for their part in their criminal Pokemon enterprise.”
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