William Hill robber jailed after string of burglaries

Tony Lock broke into seven houses in Westhoughton, Glazebury and Warrington.

The 45-year-old and his then girlfriend Lauren O’Hara were also caught with goods which were stolen during a number of other burglaries in the Leigh and Warrington areas.

Several cars were taken from the properties, while stolen bank cards were used to buy goods in shops and supermarkets.

Lock, of Church Street in Leigh, also robbed a William Hill bookmakers in Atherton as staff were closing up – pushing an employee to the ground in order to steal £168 of takings.

He was put behind bars at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, August 12, after admitting seven counts of burglary, conspiracy to handle stolen goods, fraud and theft.

But O’Hara, of Whitegate Avenue in Culcheth, was spared jail after admitting conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

The 36-year-old, who had been remanded into custody since March, was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for two years.

Detective constable Michael McDermott said: “This is a fantastic result and reflects the hard work and commitment shown by the Warrington Beat Initiative Team following a lengthy investigation into burglaries in the town.

“I am pleased that Lock is behind bars for these offences, and I hope that this acts as a deterrent to those who think they can get away with this type of crime – I would like to thank our colleagues at Greater Manchester Police for their help with the case.

“Residents are reminded to remain vigilant and always ensure that their vehicles and homes are secure to make it as difficult as possible for criminals to target them.”

The court heard that Lock was serving 69 months, a sentence handed down in 2016, for a number of other burglaries when he absconded from HMP Thorn Cross in Warrington in December 2018.

In March 2019, a Ford Focus was stolen from the driveway of a home in Bolton – with the car later recovered in Leigh and his fingerprints found in the vehicle.

The following month, the defendant was caught on CCTV driving a Suzuki Solero which had been stolen from a ‘rural farm’ in the Greater Manchester area, and was later recovered from O’Hara’s home.

A wheelchair belonging to the disabled homeowner was also taken during this burglary, as well as a handbag and debit cards which were later used at Costcutter in Atherton.

Less than two weeks later, Lock knocked on the door of a house on Dob Brow Road in Westhoughton.

While the occupier was home, he did not answer the door.

The burglar entered through the front door and took the keys to an Audi A5 before driving away in the vehicle.

In May that year, he used a bank card stolen during another burglary at McColls in Atherton in order to make two transactions totalling £59.

Two days after the robbery the same month, a purse and its contents were stolen during a burglary and then used in Costcutter in Tyldesley.

Similar frauds were then carried out using stolen debit cards at a convenience store in Boothstown, a Co-op in Astley, Texaco in Lowton and another at McColls in Atherton.

Around this time, Lock formed a relationship with O’Hara and began to spend a ‘significant amount of time’ at her then home on Downham Avenue in Culcheth.

Between May 21 2019 and June 7 2019, a total of 15 break-ins and attempted burglaries which ‘targeted victims of a similar demographic, used a similar modus operandi and saw the same types of property taken’ were reported in Warrington and Greater Manchester.

Most of these incidents saw pensioners’ homes being burgled.

In the first, Lock broke into a house on Hall Road in Woolston while the retired occupant was home – taking her handbag and a Honda Jazz car.

Four days later, the owner of a property on Rectory Lane in Winwick saw him attempting to enter his garage.

The defendant that had already been into the address and taken the keys to his Vauxhall Corsa from the kitchen.

A house on Lord Street in Croft was targeted next, with several personal items taken during this burglary later being discovered in O’Hara’s home and a Mercedes car also being pinched.

On June 3 2019, a pensioner was sat at the table in her dining room with her grandson at her home on Birch Road in Rixton in the evening when they heard Lock enter through the back door.

The pair challenged the intruder, causing him to flee.

Around half an hour later, the keys to a Vauxhall Insignia were taken from a property on Oakdene Avenue in Woolston – with the vehicle later discovered outside O’Hara’s home.

She was arrested three days later when police raided the property, but was released pending further enquiries.

Over the coming hours, the pair were linked to a string of other crimes.

A family home on Marsland Green Lane in Leigh was broken into in the early hours of June 7 2019, with items taken including a smartwatch, mobile phone, debit cards, headphone, a sat nav, a Skoda Octavia adapted for the disabled user and a VW Golf.

These stolen bank cards were then used by Lock and O’Hara at Leigh Service Station, Asda and Tesco supermarkets and a McDonald’s that morning while both were seen using the Skoda for transport.

At around 11am, the keys to a Vauxhall Crossland and a handbag were stolen from a house on Birchall Avenue in Culcheth.

A phone taken during this break-in was found in Lock’s possession when he was arrested, and he was caught on camera using a stolen bank card at the Spar in Risley.

Around the same time, he attempted to burgle a house on nearby Brogden Avenue via the back door but was ‘surprised’ to see the occupant inside and fled.

The keys to another car were stolen during a burglary on Bollin Close in Culcheth and were later found inside the stolen Skoda Octavia.

A ‘sneak’ break-in occurred on Fowley Common Lane in Glazebury at around 1pm, with Lock posing as a window cleaner in order to gain entry before taking a Ford B-Max.

And a final incident occurred on Lodge Drive in Culcheth, when a purse and house and car keys – which were also found in the stolen Skoda – were pinched.

The B-Max was then spotted by police outside Rick’s Newsagents on Warrington Road in Leigh, with Lock and O’Hara arrested after being discovered inside the shop.

Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane added: “Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes.

“Offences like this have a devastating impact on victims and on the wider community – I would like to praise the work of all those who were involved this investigation and helped to deliver justice for the victims.

“I hope that this outcome allows the victims to move forward with their lives and provides reassurance to local residents.”