Harwich: Trio jailed for 12 years after forklift ram raid

Three men have been jailed for a combined 12 years for their roles in a burglary spree which involved using a hulking JCB forklift to ram a shop.

The sentence follows an investigation into a burglary conspiracy which also saw multiple homes in Essex and Hertfordshire targeted.

Shane Hadderton, 36, of Glenway Close in Maldon, Marvin Usher, 33, of London Way, Royston, and Deividas Fiodorovas, 36, of Howard Road, Royston, were all arrested in May 2024 following a string of burglaries and theft.

The offences took place in April 2024.

Burglary spree

The first on 1 April in Oakley Road, Harwich, saw a home badly damaged, with entry forced through the back door and thousands of pounds in money and tools taken, as well as a Ford Ranger and a Land Rover.

The second on 7 April, in Clacton Road, Little Horsley, saw a pick-up truck taken from the property overnight.

That same evening, a JCB telescopic forklift was stolen from another property in the street, with the neighbouring field damaged as the vehicle was stolen.

At about 2am on 8 April, both vehicles were used in a ram raid at Home Bargains in Harwich, with the JCB used to rip a cash machine from the wall of the shop and load it into the truck.

The cashpoint was later found dumped at Harwich and Dovercourt Golf Club, damaged irreparably but still containing the £55,000 held inside.

On 23 April, a home in Nancy Blackett Avenue, Walton, was burgled, with the victim leaving home in the afternoon for just 25 minutes when entry was forced through the back door and jewellery valued at more than £20,000 was taken.

The final burglary happened on 24 April, when at least one suspect carrying a crowbar forced entry to a home in the Bungalows, Royston, Hertfordshire.

One of the victims was held in the bathroom of the property while the burglary was carried out.

Two victims were in the property at the time of the burglary and more than £120,000 of watches, jewellery and valuables were stolen from inside.

Charged and sentenced

Once arrested, all three were charged with two counts of conspiracy to burgle and one count of conspiracy to steal.

Fiodorovas pleaded guilty to all three counts, Usher admitted one count of conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal and Hadderton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to burgle.

Within these charges, Fiodorovas admitted the home burglaries, as well as the conspiracy to steal the cash machine and the burglary of the JCB.

Hadderton admitted driving vehicles to and from the burglaries in Walton and Royston but denied entering any of the properties.

Usher admitted being involved in the conspiracy to steal the cash machine and the burglaries to take the vehicles used but denied involvement in the home burglaries.

The three were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 2 January.
Hadderton was jailed for three years and nine months, Fiodorovas for six years and eight months and Usher for two years and five months.

'Significant planning'

Speaking after sentencing Detective Inspector Frazer Low said:

“This was a co-ordinated series of crimes that could only warrant a custodial sentence.
“The prosecutor was right when they said the ATM theft was sophisticated and involved significant planning. The impact on the business was financially significant, but the impact on the burglary victims extends well beyond the value of the items lost.
“Holding one of the victims in the bathroom of the Royston property while carrying out a burglary, armed with a crowbar, shows the men responsible put their own financial gain over everything else.
“They are now out of harm’s way and I hope the victims of these deplorable crimes can begin to process and recover from them.”

For advice on how to stay safe and protect your home, yourself, your business and your vehicles from crime, please visit our crime prevention pages.

You can also find out more general information about crime, the law and staying safe on our advice and information pages.

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