A MAN who burgled Port Sunlight Golf Club and stole £16,000 worth of property has been jailed for 15 months.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Gary Beck already has a conviction for burgling another golf club.

He and three men, who have not been caught, broke open the shutters at the Port Sunlight premises, turned off the alarm and smashed a window before climbing in.

They then stole golf clubs and other property, worth £16,000, from the club shop and fled, said Miss Susan Sherman, prosecuting.

During the raid on October 2, Beck cut his hand leaving blood at the scene and 10 days later he was arrested and immediately confessed. All but £1,000 of the property had meanwhile been found abandoned on waste land on Bolton Road East, Bromborough.

Beck, 22, of Fulwood Mews, Little Sutton, South Wirral, pleaded guilty to the burglary and also had the theft of £3 cash stolen from the Ardudwy Sports Club in Gwynedd in March taken into consideration.

Jailing him, Judge Sean Duncan said that it had been a serious commercial burglary. He had already stolen from a golf club and a sports club and "here you are again at a golf club marching off with £16,000 worth of someone else's property."

Beck is currently serving a six-month sentence imposed three weeks ago for assault and Judge Duncan ordered that he serve the 15 months consecutively.

His solicitor, Robin Boag, said that he had not intended breaking in but had joined in after his companions hit upon the burglary idea. He had pleaded guilty as soon as possible.

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