A man in the UK who used a stolen lorry cab to make off with a trailer loaded with almost 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs before surrendering to police with his hands up has been jailed for 18 months.
Joby Pool (32) used a metal grinder to break into an industrial unit in Telford, Shropshire, on February 11th before driving off with assorted chocolate goods worth more than £31,000.
At Shrewsbury Crown Court on Thursday, Pool, of Dewsbury Road, Tingley, near Leeds, was jailed by Judge Anthony Lowe for a year-and-a-half, with half of that to be spent in prison and the other half on licence.
The six months he has already spent in custody will count towards the nine months behind bars.
The court heard Pool had used a tractor unit which had been stolen in the Yorkshire area in October to tow away the trailer from an industrial unit belonging to SW Group Logistics in Stafford Park, Telford.
The stolen chocolate was then driven onto the northbound M42, where Pool surrendered by walking towards police “with his hands up” near junction 11, a court hearing previously heard.
Pool, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey long-sleeved Adidas shirt on Thursday, had previously admitted theft, criminal damage to a lock at the trailer park and driving without insurance.
In a series of tweets posted two days after the theft, West Mercia Police told how they “helped save Easter” after foiling the thief.
They said: “West Mercia Police has helped save Easter for Creme Egg fans after almost 200,000 of the chocolate treats were stolen from a unit in Stafford Park in Telford.
“The eggs-travagent theft took place on Saturday 11 February with the chocolate collection box thought to be worth around £40,000. Along with the Creme Eggs a number of other chocolate varieties were also stolen.
“Shortly after the theft a vehicle, presumably purporting to be the Easter bunny, was stopped northbound on the M42 and a man was arrested on suspicion of theft.”
