A MARRIED couple and another man involved in 'fencing' an elderly man's stolen antiques through a Cotswold auction house have escaped jail today.
Dozens of antiques were stolen in a series of raids on the home of Stephen Proctor in Chumleigh, Barnstaple, Devon, after he developed Alzheimer's Disease and went into sheltered accomodation, Gloucester Crown Court heard.
Some of his property found its way to the Cotswold Auction House in Cirencester thanks to Glynn Chugg, his sister Michaela Poole and her husband Matthew Poole, a Tesco worker.
At Gloucester crown court the Pooles, both 25, of The Paddock, Cirencester, admitted one charge of handling stolen goods. Chugg, 30, of Swallowfield, Roundswell, Barnstaple, Devon, admitted acquisition, use of or possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct.
Pregnant Mrs Poole was ordered to do 50 hours of unpaid community work, her husband 100 hours, and Hoyles and Chugg 200 hours each.
Prosecutor Simon Burns told the court the total value of the property involved in the case was £13,018.
"This whole case involves the disposal and sale of stolen antiques from the home of the Proctor family in North Devon. The family estate is in Chumleigh and Mr Stephen Proctor lived there until he was sadly diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had to move out into sheltered accomodation," Mr Burns said.
"His house was then systematically burgled while it was empty from the end of 2004 and through 2005.
"The prosecution cannot lay blame for the burglaries at the door of any of these defendants. But a lot of the property found its way into the Barnstaple area where Chugg comes from.
"What then took place was the offloading of those antiques to a suitable outlet which was the Cotswold Auction House in Cirencester.
"The police investigation revealed that Michaela Poole entered the property into the auctions on five occasions.
"She falsely claimed the antiques to be hers to sell. She declared them to be 'my own unencumbered property.' "Matthew assisted her and accompanied her to enter items into auctions.
"In mid August Matthew Poole arrived at the auction house with a large box full of property but by this time the police had tipped them off and they were wise to what was going on.
"One plate, a Yangtse Dish, was worth £10,000. It is now abroad in Brazil, having been sold on."
The Pooles were arrested on August 31, 2005.
Matthew admitted that Chugg had brought several items to them to get them sold at the Cotswold Auction Rooms.
Michaela also admitted selling antiques on behalf of her brother. She claimed it was from a friend of hers who had stuff to sell from a house clearance.
The prosecution said the criminal benefits derived from their crimes for the Pooles was £6,509 each and Chugg £9,671.
Because none of the defendants has any assets he ordered that only £100 be confiscated from each of them as proceeds of crime.
Sentencing the four, Recorder David Lane QC said he had suspicions that they were all closer to the burglaries than might appear but he had to sentence them purely for the offences they admitted.
He regarded Michaela Poole as the most culpable because she was the one who did all the dealing with the sale of the stolen goods at the auctioneer's, he added.
But he was being lenient with her because she has a child due in July.
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