Man sentenced for burglary at the Groundlings Theatre, Portsmouth

A man has been sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of a burglary at the Groundlings Theatre.

 

Daniel Storey, 39, of no fixed abode, initially pleaded not guilty to the offence, however changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.

 

The sentence comes after a report that the Groundlings Theatre on Kent Street, Portsmouth, had been broken into shortly before 9am on Sunday 29 September 2019.

 

The court heard how volunteers at the theatre had arrived that morning to find that entry had been gained to the building via the stage door and that a cupboard had been smashed open and a safe taken, as well as electrical equipment including an Ipad and a laptop. They then entered a staff office to find two men they didn’t know, who fled the building.

 

Officers attended and it was discovered that as well as the safe, which contained approximately £400, the pair had taken a CCTV recording system and a bottle of vodka.

It was also reported that a handbag containing an Iphone, a Bluetooth speaker, a set of keys and various credit/debit cards, one of which was later used, were taken from the theatre. A Toyota Aygo had also been taken from the car park and was later retrieved by officers on Havant Street.

 

An investigation was launched and Storey was charged with non-dwelling burglary. 

 

He has now been sentenced to two years in prison.

 

A second man, Steven Storey, of Fawcett Road, was sentenced to 14 months, suspended for 24 months in connection with this incident. He must also carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and pay a victim surcharge.  

 

Investigating officer Detective Constable Kurton, of the Eastern Criminal Investigation Department, said: “This was a despicable crime on a local business, which impacted the theatre significantly. Not only did the theatre lose a number of valuable items, but the cost of the damage caused to the building during the break-in added further to their devastation.

 

“We’re pleased that the judge handed down a sentence befitting of this crime. Burglary, of any kind, is a terribly intrusive crime and we hope that this shows communities across Portsmouth that burglars like Storey will face justice.”