Two brothers who stole £62,000 worth of Pokémon cards from a collectables shop in Warrington have been jailed. Shane Johnson, 37, and Keith Johnson, 33, broke into Celestial Collectables on the evening of April 8 this year.
The shop specialises in rare and high value Pokémon trading cards. Police were called to the scene amid reports the store was being ransacked. Officers arrived through the broken door and found Pokémon cards strewn across the floor.
Break-in details
A crowbar used to smash the door window was found at the scene. The brothers stole around £62,000 worth of cards, and around £3,000 worth of damage was caused during the break-in.
CCTV revealed a white Ford transit van used in the burglary, but the vehicle was on cloned number plates. The van, which travelled from Birmingham to Warrington on the day, had previously been captured parked outside Keith's address.
CCTV footage showed the van breaking down in Warrington, and the brothers pushing it to another road where a second van, which had travelled from Birmingham, was waiting. The stolen goods were transferred into the other van, which was later found near Shane's address.
Further offences and sentencing
The brothers also used a crowbar to break into The Graded Gallery in Rugby, stealing various items including Pokémon cards before leaving in a Nissan X-Trail. The total stock stolen and damage caused there was more than £9,000.
Following their arrest, officers discovered stolen property belonging to Celestial Collectables, among other items, at Keith's address.
Shane Johnson, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 45 months and four weeks in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to burglary with intent to steal. Keith Johnson, from Birmingham, was sentenced to 29 months in prison at the same court on July 2 after admitting the same offences.
Police comment
DC Hannah Smith said: "The overwhelming evidence collected through our extensive enquiries put them at both crime scenes giving them no choice but to plead guilty. The brothers will now have to pay the price for their part in their criminal Pokemon enterprise."
