Man jailed for three years following burglary at Musto at Gunwharf Quays.

A 40 year-old man has been jailed for three years following a burglary at the Musto store at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.

Shortly after 04:45am on Thursday 15 August the store was broken into and £13,000 of clothing was stolen.

Danny Don Baldacchino of Bridgeside Close in Portsmouth was arrested and subsequently charged with offences including theft from a shop, burglary and breach of bail conditions.

He subsequently admitted the offences and was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 8 November to 16 months in prison for burglary and a further 20 months in prison when a suspended sentence was triggered giving a total sentence of three years in prison.

We recognise the impact thefts and shoplifting have on our business community  and we will continue to relentlessly pursue those individuals who commit crime against our businesses, prioritising those who are violent to staff or are repeat offenders. We have a city centre team dedicated to catching these offenders and will be working with the Portsmouth Business Crime Reduction Partnership and businesses in Southsea and across the city.

To help protect your business:

• Make sure staff are able to use any appropriate security equipment such as panic alarms.
• Make sure CCTV cameras are in good working order, the position provides the best possible coverage and they are serviced annually.
• Remind staff to report any suspicious activity to the manager or the police. Details should also be recorded and include: date, time, description of person.

The community are our eyes and ears and we encourage you to report all incidents as soon as you are able to by calling 101 if it’s not an emergency.

You can also report suspicious activity online by visiting our website: https://www.hampshire.police.uk

If a crime is in progress, always call 999.