Bungling Shropshire burglars got stuck in the snow

John Burton, Matthew Price and Robert Lee broke into two homes close to Cleobury Mortimer on March 23 last year, stealing a handbag from one – before dumping it – and a sewing cupboard key from the other.

But the trio were caught when the van they were using got stuck on snowy lanes and they had to flee on foot.

The men had admitted a range of charges at an earlier hearing, but appeared for sentencing at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

Burton, 36, from Dudley, had admitted one charge of burglary and was jailed for two years and eight months, while Lee, 23, from Wolverhampton, had admitted two charges of burglary and was given a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

Lee was also ordered to carry out 250 hours' unpaid work and a 12-month probation supervision order.

Price, 33, from Dudley, admitted two charges of burglary and was jailed for two years and four months. He also admitted a separate charge of dangerous driving relating to an incident near Bridgnorth on August 9 last year and was jailed for eight months to run consecutively to the burglary sentence.

Judge Robin Onions said the sentence were a warning to "nuisance offenders" who thought they could break into secluded homes in Shropshire. He said: "People must learn, they cannot come to Shropshire and break into houses and think you will get away with it."

Mr Stefan Kolodynski, prosecuting, said the three men had targeted two secluded homes just outside Cleobury Mortimer

He said they had broken into one home where a lady had been with her four-year-old grandson and taken her handbag, which was found outside a short time later with just a minimal amount of cash missing.

They had then moved on to a nearby property which was empty as the owners were away, but while they had carried out a search of the property, only a key for a sewing cupboard was taken.

Mr Kolodynski added: "They hadn't accounted for nature because the van they were using got stuck in the snow on a nearby country lane and once the police were informed it didn't take long to find them.

"One was even lying face down in the snow pretending to be rabitting, while another said he had been dumped there by a girlfriend."

Mr David Bratt, for Price, and Jabeen Akhtar, for Lee, said their clients were sorry for their actions.