Second man jailed in connection with high value Gosport burglary

Aaron Smethurst

A second burglar has been jailed for his involvement in stealing approximately £7,000 worth of goods from a flat in Gosport.

The flat, on Minnitt Road, was entered between 2.20pm and 2.30pm on 1 November 2020, where cash was stolen along with a number of items including jewellery, designer handbags, an iPad and a mobile phone.

Following an investigation led by the Operation Hawk team, Curtis Coombes, aged 34 years, formerly of South Street in Gosport, and Aaron James Smethurst, aged 36 years, formerly of Bemisters Lane in Gosport, were charged with burglary.

Both pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on 14 December.

Appearing at the same court today (Tuesday 6 April), Smethurst was jailed for 29 months.

Coombes was jailed for 27 months at a previous hearing on Thursday 25^th March. He was handed 26 months for the burglary and an additional 4 weeks as the offence took place while he was serving a suspended sentence for unrelated matters.

Curtis Coombes

As part of this investigation, a 27-year-old woman from Gosport was given a conditional caution for obstructing police.

Following the conclusion of this case, Detective Sergeant Deborah Mason from the Operation Hawk team said: “This was a high value burglary in which the culprits brazenly searched a flat in the middle of the day to steal anything they could get their hands on.

“I hope the hard work of our officers, and the subsequent convictions of the suspects through the courts, reassures the community that we are committed to tackling those who offend in this way and we will bring them to justice.”