Victims thanked for their co-operation after man (52) jailed for Newtownabbey garages and sheds burglaries
A Belfast man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment after pleading guilty to a series of burglaries in Newtownabbey.
Stephen McIlwaine (52), whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, was sentenced at Laganside Crown Court on Wednesday (April 9).
A number of garages and sheds within the Ballyhenry Road area were burgled in the early hours of July 8, 2023. A number of high-value tools were stolen.
A forensically-driven police investigation resulted in the later arrest, charge and subsequent jail sentence of the defendant. Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Erskine, of the PSNI’s Criminal Investigation Department, said: "Burglary is such an intrusive crime. For the owners of the home garages and sheds targeted, what happened was upsetting and can have lasting impact on your sense of security.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank the victims for their co-operation and we hope that today's outcome will provide some level of comfort to them.
"I also want to thank Police Service colleagues for their work on this case. Our thanks also to the members of the public who provided information to us and helped with our investigation.
"Today’s outcome should make it clear to anyone thinking of carrying out this time of despicable crime that we will investigate and work tirelessly to hold you accountable before the courts."
The detective added: "I also want to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who would like home security crime prevention advice to call us on 101 to arrange to speak to our Crime Prevention Officer.
"We continue to encourage anyone who sees any suspicious activity where they live to call and report it to us."