THREE thieves who stole more than £4,000 worth of Lego after targeting stores in Nottinghamshire have been warned they face jail if they reoffend.
Conlon McDonagh, 22, of Gregory Road, Southall, Ealing, Tom McDonagh, 22, of Greenwood Avenue, Enfield and Patrick Ward, 22, of Gregory Road, Southall were each sentenced to 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months.
They have also banned from entering any B&M store in England and Wales for a year.
"They travelled to Nottinghamshire to commit these high-value thefts, thinking they could get away with it. They were wrong," said Sergeant Antony Coleman of Nottinghamshire Police.
The first theft took place at the B&M store in Bridge Place, Worksop, at around 5pm on Monday, August 29.
One of the men distracted staff while the other two stole nearly £650 worth of Lego from the shelves.
The £4,000 worth of Lego stolen by the thieves (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)At 8pm on the same evening, the trio targeted the B&M store in Baums Lane, Mansfield, filling up four large bags with Lego products worth approximately £1,000 before leaving without paying.
The next day, they took almost £3,000 worth of Lego products and toys from the B&M store at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield.
On this occasion, a shop assistant challenged them as they were leaving. One of thieves swore at her before they all fled in a car.
The culprits were caught when a police officer spotted a vehicle full of toys in the Newark area on Wednesday, August 31.
Checks found the vehicle was wanted in connection with the Lego thefts and so a team of officers stopped the vehicle as it travelled along the A17.
All three male occupants were arrested and later charged with three counts of theft.
The trio pleaded guilty to all the charges after appearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on September 2, 2022.
