Man jailed after engagaement rings theft

A MAN who found himself acting as the getaway driver following a gems theft at a Clitheroe jewellers has been given a jail term.
James Blakeborough gave an acquaintance a lift to town, believing he was seeking a refund on a gold chain. But his companion grabbed £7,000 worth of diamond rings from Marsdens jewellers in King Street.Blakeborough (46), of Newcliffe Road, Blackley, Manchester, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to handling stolen goods. He was sentenced to two months in prison, to be added on to a jail term he is already serving.

The crime took place in September 2005. The jewellery was stolen around 5 p.m. on a Friday by a man who entered the shop saying he was looking for an engagement ring for his girlfriend and a gold band for himself.Mr Steven Johnson (prosecuting) said the man ran off with the tray of diamond rings, valued at £7,140. An eyewitness took the registration number of the getaway car and the following day Blakeborough was apprehended.He told police he knew the other man vaguely, saying he was called Derek, and he asked for a lift to Clitheroe to sell a gold chain. He parked up, not knowing there was going to be a theft, and later the other man ran towards him, telling him to run and get in the car.Mr Saul Brody (defending) said: "He knew something had gone on in the shop.

That was not the reason why he drove to Clitheroe. "He had wrongly assumed there was an entirely lawful reason for going there. After the theft, he drove, thus providing a lift to the other man, when he knew by then that property had been stolen."Passing sentence, Judge Christopher Cornwall told him: "For a small retail jeweller, to lose a tray of rings is a matter of some considerable importance. "Even if there was proper insurance, it means higher insurance premiums in future. By continuing to drive as you did, you enabled the man to enjoy the fruits of his crime."