Man jailed following high value burglary in Gosport

A burglar has been jailed after approximately £7,000 worth of goods were stolen 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 35 years, 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 (Thursday 25 March), Coombes was jailed for 27 months. 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.

Smethurst is due to be sentenced at a later date.

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